Team Herald
MARGAO: In a massive show of strength, the South Goa Advocates Association (SGAA) condemned not just the assault on advocate Gajanan Sawant but also the prevailing state of affairs that allowed such an incident to occur in the first place.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Several senior advocates who attended SGAA’s extraordinary meeting held in Margao on Saturday asserted that they were ready to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the justice is met and the culprits are punished.
It was also pointed out that the incident showed that the advocates, who are the ones who usually defend citizens, are now the ones facing a threat. “If advocates cannot do their work without fear of such action by the police, it sets a wrong precedent for society,” said senior advocate Radharao Gracias, adding that the lawyers from South Goa are prepared to escalate their protest and join their colleagues in Mapusa, if needed.
SGAA President Prasad Naik added that they had visited Adv Sawant, who recounted his experience. “We were shocked by the incident, the police has crossed a line,” he said. SGAA committee members also demanded that an Act should be passed, that protects advocates from such type of assaults on the lines of how doctors are protected by the law, if they are assaulted. They said such acts of violence against advocates should be a cognisable and non-bailable offence.
Senior advocate Avdhut Arsekar added that CM Pramod Sawant, who is also the Home Minister, needs to be held accountable and said the government’s decision to shift the case to the Crime Branch was not sufficient. Another senior advocate Vivek Vaz questioned the silence of the Director General of Police (DGP) in the matter, calling it shameful.
He also called for the immediate arrest of the accused persons and questioned the delay in filing the FIR. Adv Zeller De Souza suggested that filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) would help ensure that the investigation is thorough, and he also wanted an investigation into the police higher-ups that had directed the constables to take such action against Adv Sawant and his client.
Former SGAA President Antonio Clovis Da Costa praised the actions of the Mapusa Advocate Association for putting pressure on the police and demanded an inquiry into the past actions of the constable who led the assault.
