TICKETGATE TRIAL: 20 YRS OF UNBEATEN INNINGS

MARGAO
In times of Covid pandemic, trial of criminal cases have come to a screeching halt, with SOPs and protocols throwing court hearings haywire. The infamous Ticketgate is no exception.

As the trial in the sensational fake ticket case allegedly involving former Goa Cricket Association Chief Dayanand Narvekar and eight others, including former GCA office bearers, has dragged on for two decades for a host of reasons, prosecutors have a task cut out “ how to bring the curtains come down on the trial of this sensational case with Covid cases showing a decline and the government easing pandemic-related restrictions.

This question has come to haunt the prosecutors as the infamous April 6, 2001 case has now completed two decades, since the day when hundreds, if not thousands of genuine ticket holders could not gain entry into the packed Jawaharlal Nehru stadium to witness the India-Australia ODI match.

Reason: While Covid restrictions on court proceedings may be further eased in the coming days, the prosecutors face an arduous task to get the witnesses from the Southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka who had all come to witness the India-Australia ODI match at the Jawaharlal Nehu stadium, Fatorda on April 6, 2001.

Consider this: The total number of witnesses cited in the sensational case in support of the prosecution case is a whopping 220. Of which, only 80 witnesses have been examined over a decade of trial, implying that the prosecution is facing a mindboggling question how to examine the remaining 140 witnesses, more so when most of the witnesses in this case hail from the southern states, who had come to watch the ODI match.

Whether the prosecution will go for the examination of only a few material witnesses and dropping others from the list is a question that has remained unanswered. But, the biggest worry for the police and the prosecutors is how to get the outstation witnesses into the state.

And, they have no idea how many of them are alive or dead as evident by the fact that the statements of some of the cricketing officials and other witnesses were recorded when they were in their 50s and 60s.

A police official, attached to the Margao police station, dealing with the case pointed out that the status of the witnesses will be known only when the trial resumes and the court sends summons to them for examination. “We will know the status of the witnesses only when the trial resumes. Resumption of trial will also help the prosecution to drop the witnesses not responding to summons after three reminders”, the official said.

This is one case where the trial is being conducted by special public prosecutors, Adv Vinay Borkar and Adv Pritam Moraes instead of the regular public prosecutors. The then government had drafted the two-member team of special public prosecutors to conduct the case on the plea the former GCA Chief Dayanand Narvekar enjoyed political clout.

Says Adv Pritam Moraes: “We cannot decide who is a material witness and drop others from deposition. Questions may arise on the criteria adopted to identify material witnesses. Hence, the best way would be to summon the witnesses and drop them from the list in the event they do not respond, say after three summons”.

The two-decade old case, sources say is almost forgotten in the corridors of the Margao police station. The complainant in the case, then PI Uttam Raut Desai recently succumbed to Covid infection, while the investigation officer, Umesh Gaonkar has retired from service as Superintendent of police. After a rap from the trial Court, the Margao police had appointed a dedicated Head Constable to liason with the prosecutors and the witnesses.

Appointment of the special public prosecutors and a weekly trial had helped expedite examination of the witnesses. The prosecution, however, have miles to go before curtains come down on trial of a case which had on April 6 last completed two long decades.

THE POLICE CHARGESHEET

>> The Margao police had charged Narvekar, Ramshankar Das and Vinod Phadke for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy with contractor Chinmay Fallari for sale of tickets by manipulation in the tender for a consideration of Rs 68 lakhs

>> The police further charged the trio for intentionally placing orders for 29,000 tickets and complimentary passes with hi-tech print system, Hyderabad beyond the capacity of the stadium, which was put at 27,300 spectactors

>> In execution of the criminal conspiracy, the excess tickets numbering 1650 worth Rs 9.37 lakhs were allegedly unauthorisedly diverted to accused Eknath Naik, the brother-in-law of Dayanand Narvekar for sale. The Police alleged that Eknath sold the tickets for higher premium to the general public and cheated them

>> The police further charged the trio for allegedly printing 700 fake complimentary tickets from Classical Computers Panaji and illegally selling the tickets to general public in execution of the criminal conspiracy