Team Herald
PANJIM: In a major disappointment to Panjim legislator Atanasio Monserrate, the District & Sessions Court has refused to stay framing of charges against him in the three-year-old rape case.
When the matter came up for hearing on Monday, Judge Sherin Paul dismissed his application seeking to drop charges under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 506 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 67 (b) and (c) of the Information Technology Act.
After the court order, the Congress MLA said that he is innocent and would not contest the order but move the High Court of Bombay at Goa seeking to expedite trial in the case. “This order was on expected lines looking at other circumstances. I cannot name those circumstances. I am not going to challenge the order because it will only drag the matter just like the Panjim police station attack case, which is hanging for four years. I will move the High Court to expedite trial in the rape case. I don’t mind even if the trial is held on day to day basis,” he said.
The rape survivor’s neighbour Rosy has also been booked for abetment. The court will frame charges against both the accused on June 12.
After a lengthy investigation, the Women Police in July 2018 filed a 250-page chargesheet against Monserrate and Rosy but failed to gather evidence to chargesheet the victim’s mother who was accused of selling her daughter to the politician for a whopping Rs 50 lakh.
In May 2016 when an FIR was registered, Monserrate was arrested for rape, human trafficking and other charges while Rosy and the girl’s mother were taken into custody for trafficking. Monserrate has since then been claiming that it is a conspiracy to malign him as he had sacked the girl from the job in his showroom on being caught stealing money.
In a dramatic turn of events nearly 20 days before the by-election in Panjim, the girl, who is now above 18 years had gone missing from a convent where she was housed. She was however found at her friend’s place in Mapusa, a day after the polling for the by-poll where Monserrate was pitted against BJP’s Sidharth Kuncalienker and others.
