That’s the question lingering in minds of Velim villagers as the 22 accused, including two priests, are set to appear before the Margao Judicial Magistrate First Class on Friday.
With Adv Aires Rodrigues planning to file an intervention application and Rajeev Gomes, along with other advocates, prepared to defend the accused, the case has now escalated into war between the two lawyers, and the anger has reached to the level of filing police cases against each other.
After several hearings over four long years, the Goa government has attempted to withdraw the case through the Director of Prosecution. However, Rodrigues has called the move illegal and has decided to intervene in the case.
; his intervention application will be submitted today.
Meanwhile, sources informed that most of the accused are willing to sign an undertaking and it is likely that all of them would sign it.
It may be recalled that the government, as a condition for submitting its letter of intent to withdraw the case, had asked the accused to sign an undertaking that they won’t file a counter complaint against the police in the case.
Many of the accused have claimed that the case has harmed them mentally and even prevented the youth from getting jobs. They have been demanding that the case be dropped ever since it was filed against them. There have been prayer services, candlelight processions in the Velim parish and signature campaigns demanding that the case be dropped.
Adv Rodrigues had recently alleged that the government was offering to withdraw the case based only on verbal instruction from South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar to so – an allegation that has been rubbished by Sawaikar. The prosecution has said that they are ready to defend their letter of intent to withdraw the case at the JMFC and that it complies with legal provisions
Adv Rodrigues has accused the Director of Prosecution of issuing illegal directions to the Margao Assistant Public Prosecutor on a mere telephone call from the South Goa MP.
Cuncolim Police have booked the 22 accused under Sections 307, besides Sections 143, 144, 147, 148, 186, 323, 324, 326, 332, 333, 341, 342, and 353 read with Section 149 IPC.
The accused had appeared before Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Pooja Kavlekar on August 28 and were asked to apply for a bail bond of Rs 10,000 each.
