PANAJI: IAS officer Nikhil Desai, a senior AGMUT cadre officer, has issued a legal notice to jobs-for-cash accused Pooja Naik, who has named him as an alleged beneficiary in the case.
Sent through Advocate Jonathan George, the notice accuses Naik of criminal defamation under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and seeks Rs 17 crore in damages. It claims her allegations are false, malicious, and entirely fabricated, causing significant harm to Desai’s professional and personal reputation.
The notice directs Naik to immediately stop making defamatory statements, issue a written unconditional apology within 72 hours, publish the apology on all platforms where her claims appeared, and provide written assurance that she will not repeat the allegations. It warns that failure to comply will result in criminal prosecution and civil action, including recovery of Rs 17 crore, the same sum she alleges was collected in the scam.
The controversy intensified on Friday when Naik again named PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar, PWD Chief Engineer Uttam Parsekar, and Desai as alleged beneficiaries. She claimed Dhavalikar instructed her to coordinate with Desai and Parsekar, alleging the trio oversaw processing of applications against government-created vacancies.
Naik said she had forwarded over 600 applications for which Rs 17.68 crore was collected between 2019 and 2022, though none of the applicants ultimately received jobs. She also alleged that crucial evidence was contained on a mobile phone seized after her arrest last year.
