HC to decide on legality of revision plea against Aires
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, SEP 13
The Bombay High Court at Goa will on Tuesday decide whether Crime Branch Inspector Sunita Sawant was empowered to file the revision petition challenging the acquittal of the lawyer activist Aires Rodrigues in the 2004 Ribandar church case.
According to Rodrigues, the officer has not produced any document of authorization by the Goa Government to file the revision petition.
“The HC registry has raised preliminary objection as to whether PI Sawant could have filed the revision, for, it should have been filed and presented by the HC public prosecutor on behalf of the State,” said the activist.
Rodrigues has pointed out that the revision is drafted by the officer, which in fact should have been drafted either by Advocate General or Public Prosecutor. “All Government petitions in the HC are drafted by AG or PP whereas it is contrary in the present petition,” argued the lawyer.
While the case is being investigated, currently, by the Sub Inspector K V Mahale, the revision petition is ironically drafted by PI Sawant even though there is nothing on record that shows that the case is transferred to the latter.
The State had earlier filed another revision against Rodrigues in the said case, which was dismissed by the Sessions Court on June 4 while upholding Panjim Chief Judicial Magistrate’s order discharging the lawyer from Ribandar case.
Panjim JMFC on April 9, 2009 acquitted him in yet another case filed by police in connection with the same Ribandar case. Following this, Panjim CJM on December 22, 2009 directed that further proceeding against Rodrigues be stopped in the second indictment filed against him in connection with the same case.
Rodrigues and 14 other residents were indicted wherein the former led an agitation at Ribandar Church premise demanding action against the then Ribandar Parish Priest Fr Newton Rodrigues for allegedly molesting a minor girl from the same village.
