SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: After dragging their feet for several months, the Colvale police on Monday registered an FIR against the former attorney of Comunidade of Tivim Savio Pereira for committing offences punishable under the section 408 of IPC as per court directives.
The FIR has been registered as per the directives of the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Bicholim, to register FIR under Sections 401, 406, 417 and 420 of IPC and start investigations. The JMFC has also asked the police to submit the report to the Court within a month.
Douglas Lawrence Sequeira from Madel-Tivim had filed a criminal application before the JMFC, seeking directions to the Colvale police to register an FIR against the Comunidade of Tivim former attorney Savio Pereira for committing offences punishable under the sections of IPC following a complaint by nine persons on December 5 2022.
Sequeira in his police complaint filed in March 2023, had alleged that Pereira being the attorney took illegally Rs 15.50 lakh from Zacarias Victor D’Souza, who was holding power of attorney of Keith Lewis and Gertie Lewis and illegally issued a NOC dated December 2, 2019, granting easementary road access though the property bearing survey No 345/1 of village Tivim belonging to the Comunidade of Tivim. The NOC was issued without following any procedure and without any approval, drawing plan of area required for access by conducting inspection as well as without any signatures of managing committee of the Comunidade, Sequeira had stated.
In her order, JMFC Judge Anuradha Andrade had observed that the police officer did not register FIR in spite of commissioning of a congnisable offence best known to him. The material on record resulted that a cognisable offence was committed and there was no proper investigation. Adv Vinayak Porob represented the complainant in the matter.
The JMFC found that Pereira received Rs 15.50 lakh from Lewis on November 2, 2019, without the knowledge of the Comunidade and that cash amount was not deposited in the account of the Comunidade of Tivim nor it was informed during the extraordinary general body meeting held on February 23, 2020, i.e. three months after NOC was issued.
