PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has transferred all the criminal cases involving politicians to the South Goa Principal District and Sessions Court, Margao. The cases will now be heard by the Principal District and Sessions Judge, Irshad Aga.
The cases have been transferred in pursuance of a Supreme Court order which mandates speedy hearings of the cases against politicians and public representatives.
Though earlier trial cases against former and sitting legislators were heard before both, North Goa and South Goa District and Sessions Courts, the High Court of Bombay at Goa recently issued a circular regarding transferring of criminal cases against politicians to the South Goa Principal Sessions Court, Margao.
When contacted, Advocate General Devidas Pangam said, “Except for special court cases all the other criminal cases against politicians will be transferred to the Court of Principal Sessions Judge South Goa, Margao.”
Some of the politicians facing trial in the infamous 2008 Panjim police station attack case came to know about transferring of their case to the South Goa Principal Sessions Court. When they appeared before the North Goa Principal Sessions Court at Panjim, Principal District and Sessions Judge Sherin Paul told them that the case has now been transferred to the South Goa Principal Sessions Court, Margao.
All the accused including Revenue Minister Atanasio `Babush’ Monserrate, his wife Jennifer, former CCP mayors Tony Rodrigues and Uday Madkaikar, former councillors Data Karapurkar and Naguesh Kariashetty and others facing trial in the Panjim police station attack case, will now appear before the South Goa Principal Sessions Court, Margao at 2:30 pm on January 31.
In December 2017, the Supreme Court has ordered setting up of special courts across the country to fast-track the pending trials of politicians. In Goa, there are as many as 12 cases registered against politicians and pending trial in the Special Court.