The tailor turned flamboyant politician Francisco Xavier Pacheco alias Mickky Pacheco had all along been vowing that he had full faith in the Judiciary. But as many other politicians he did not care to walk the talk even when the highest Court of the country upheld his six month jail sentence for having on July 15, 2006 as then Animal Husbandry Minister slapped an Electricity department Junior Engineer Kapil Natekar.
After that March 30 verdict by the Supreme Court the most prudent step by the law maker Mickky Pacheco should have been to resign as Minister if not MLA too and immediately surrender to the Margao Court to undergo his six month jail sentence at Sada Jail. But as expected with absconding being nothing new to him he went into hiding after resigning as Minister only on April 3
The Police and the Prosecution did not move the Court to get a warrant of arrest. As a citizen and more so as an officer of the Court I would have been failing in my duty if I had remained a mere spectator to the law of the land and majesty of the Court being mocked at by a delinquent law maker Mickky Pacheco. So on April 8, I moved the Margao Judicial Magistrate First Class seeking a warrant of arrest against the politically very influential Mickky Pacheco who was being shielded by the government to evade going to jail. It has been over a month battle right up to the Supreme Court to ensure that the truant Mickky Pacheco is brought on the tracks of Justice.
I have to candidly admit that over the last forty days this issue has been the toughest to pursue as the government and the police have been all out hand in gloves with the convicted Pacheco. Even our 1979 student agitation for 50% bus concession took a mere 13 days. It has been a month of twists and turns the highlight been the unheard velocity in which the Goa government moved to stay the search warrant issued by the Margao Court to look for Pacheco at 10 Akbar Road. What were the authorities trying to conceal? Nobody can be above the law but the government awfully bent and bowed to afford a cushion to their former Minister.
As tax payer’s money has been squandered on the farcical search for Mickky Pacheco over the last one month besides precious judicial time wasted, it would be now imperative that Pacheco should reveal to the Court all his hide outs over the last one month. If he was not at 10 Akbar Road, where was he? The people of Goa and the electorate of Nuvem in particular are entitled to know where their law maker was hiding while making a mockery of the justice delivery system.
Once Mickky Pacheco steps into jail it is imperative on the jail authorities to ensure that Mickky Pacheco under goes that six month sentence just as any other convict with no preferential treatment whatsoever.
This is not the first time that Mickky Pacheco will be housed at Sada Jail but it will be his debut as a convict due to which unlike his earlier stints he would have to be content with food provided by the jail and will have to put on the jail uniform of blue shorts and a white top. For six months while he is jail his rich designer wardrobe would also get a break.
On the part of Mickky Pacheco may better sense prevail in guiding him to be at his best behavior while he spends his six months in jail. He would have to find ways of spending his time as he will not get the privilege of even fiddling with his multiple mobile sets. It will be six months without Casinos and no women around. For Mickky Pacheco fortunately he neither smokes nor consumes alcohol, so there will be no room for withdrawal symptoms. As six months will soon fly, he will be out to celebrate his 51st birthday on 12th of December and Nuvem may have a reformed MLA who just miscalculated that he could ensure that the Law is an Ass.
