MARGAO
Exactly 21 years since the 2001 Cricket Ticketgate hit the headlines, the sensational fake tickets case allegedly involving former Goa Cricket Association Chief Dayanand Narvekar and others may end in dismissal for want of prosecution by the State.
Judicial Magistrate First Class, Margao, Judge Carlo Santan Da Silva, who is the designated judge to try corruption cases, has threatened to dismiss the case at the next date of hearing scheduled on April 16 due to non-prosecution by the state.
Judge Silva made it clear that the court is giving the last and final opportunity for the prosecution to prosecute the matter at the next date of hearing or threatened to dismiss the matter due to non-prosecution.
That’s not all. The judge made an observation that it is gathered that the State has not taken serious steps to prosecute the matter.
What made the judge to hold out the threat to dismiss the case was the absence of the Special Public Prosecutor appointed by the state to prosecute the matter. In fact, the judge observed the court has given an opportunity to the Special Public Prosecutor to appear and take serious and not cosmetic steps to prosecute the matter.
The Goan, however, understands that the Special Public Prosecutor, Adv Vinay Borkar, was conspicuous by his absence in the court on Friday since he has already moved an application to the government to discharge him from the case.
That’s not all. Around six months ago, city lawyer, Adv Pritam Moraes, who was assisting the Special Public Prosecutor Adv Borkar had withdrawn himself from the case. Since then, Adv Borkar was singlehandedly handing the case in the court.
When contacted, the Special Public Prosecutor told The Goan that he did not appear before the court on Friday since he had already moved an application before the government to relieve him from conducting the prosecution.
He added, “Since the Court has today taken serious note of the absence of the Special Public Prosecutor and has threatened to dismiss the case, I will move another application intimating the government to take a call on appointing my successor.”
Incidentally, Adv Borkar maintained that he has not received any communication from the government on his application seeking discharge from the case. “I am told that Adv Pritam Moraes, who was assisting me in the case, had sent in his application to the government to relieve him from the case, but the government is yet to get back to him on the matter,” he added.
The government had appointed the Special Public Prosecutor around 2006 following a petition in the High Court seeking a Special PP in view of the fact that the GCA Chief Dayanand Narvekar was the MLA and a former minister.
