PANJIM: Advocate Aires Rodrigues has urged the Bombay High Court at Goa to expedite the criminal trial of Panjim MLA Atanasio Babush Monserrate and Revenue Minister Jennifer Monserrate in the 2008 attack on Panjim Police Station.
In a letter petition to the Administrative Judge that was filed on Tuesday, Adv Rodrigues pointed out that the Supreme Court (SC) being concerned about the criminalisation of politics had directed that the criminal cases against the politicians should be fast-tracked.
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He added that this however has not happened in Goa, at least in the Panjim Police Station attack case in which Babush, Jennifer and others stand chargesheeted by the CBI for having attacked and damaged the police station on February 19, 2008.
He referred to how the HC, by an order dated April 24, 2012, had declined to quash those criminal proceedings. However, in his petition, he drew the attention to the fact that despite that order, the accused had moved the HC again and by an order December 4, 2014 managed to obtain a stay of the trial.
Rodrigues has further stated that over the last seven years the matter had been appearing and disappearing from the HC final hearing board and alleged that the prosecution could be possibly aiding the politically well-connected accused from the ruling party.
Rodrigues has also stated that the very questionable stay of the criminal trial granted by the HC on December 4, 2014 that has continued for seven long years was contrary to Apex Court order that any stay granted by the HC expires in six months and that unless extension is granted the trial must go ahead.
Seeking immediate intervention of the Court to preserve the sanctity and solemnity of temples of justice and to ensure that the mandate of law is complied with, Rodrigues has urged that his letter petition be treated as a suo-motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to ensure that the orders of the SC are strictly enforced in letter and spirit.
Rodrigues has addressed a copy of his letter petition to the Chief Justice of India and the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.
