TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Special public prosecutor Rajiv Gomes has said he has no problem if the government moves to stop him from appearing for the state before the special court, but asserted that nothing would stop him from drawing attention of the judge to the laxity in the ongoing investigations in the Canacona building collapse case.
“The government has appointed me to appear for the state as the special public prosecution before the special court. And, the government is free to take a call whether to continue my services or not”, he said, when his attention was drawn to reports that the government might do a re-think on his appointment as special public prosecutor..
“My only interest in the case is that the big fish and the influential involved in the case do not go scot free. That’s the reason why I had dashed off a letter to the crime branch to arrest certain officials connected with the case”, Gomes told Herald.
The Goa police and the special public prosecutor had virtually crossed swords in the special court, Margao hearing the Canacona building collapse case on Friday over the arrests of certain officials in the case. While the SPP drew attention of special judge, Nutan Sardesai on the need to arrest the officials, crime branch superintendent of police Karthik Kashyap had expressed his disagreement, saying the question of arrests is the sole prerogative of the investigating officer. That’s not all. That there was no unanimity between the police and the special public prosecutor came to the fore in the court when Kashyap asserted that the police are not bound to go by the dictates of the public prosecutor.
Differences between the SPP and the police became evident on the interrogation and arrest of officials, especially the former Canacona municipal chief officers. While Kashyap has maintained that arrests can take place based on evidence, Gomes had asserted that the police need not collect any evidence since the officials’ role is evident by the documents they had signed during their tenure as Canacona municipal chief officers.
Pg 3:??Two former COs questioned over tragedy
