TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: The Children’s Court on Monday directed the Mormugao police to add charges of destruction of evidence in the negligence case filed against the Vasco school authorities in the minor school girl rape case.
Court President Judge Anuja Prabhudesai also directed the Vasco superintendent of police to replace the current investigating officer (IO) owing to the legal principle which says complainant and IO cannot be the same. Police Inspector Suresh Gaonkar is also a complainant in the case.
“I am happy with the judiciary. The judge has done justice to my petition,” was the father’s reaction conveyed to Herald, after the verdict.
On February 12, the girl’s father had moved the Children’s Court seeking arrests of the school headmistress Sharlet Furtado, class teacher Deesha Kavthankar and the head clerk Brazina Godinho under Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code for destroying crucial evidence after his daughter was raped on January 14.
The judge has also asked the police to investigate whether the visit of a Mormugao Port Trust official ~which runs Deep Vihar School where the incident happened~ to the victim’s house was to hush up the case or out of real concern. The parents had refused to accept the Rs 5 lakh compensation which was offered by the official on behalf of the management.
The minor was raped on January 14 in the school toilet during recess.
The advocate appearing on behalf of the father had extensively argued that the school delayed informing police about the incident and destroyed evidence. He also alleged that thereafter the police delayed taking the girl for medical examination.
Sarojini Sardinha, arguing for the State, submitted a detailed time-line of the incident to counter the allegations of delaying information.
In the present case, the suspended headmistress was on January 20, 2012 arrested by Mormugao police for failing to ensure the safety of students due to which the girl was sexually assaulted.
The Crime Branch’s Special Investigation Team ~ conducting a separate probe ~ has already invoked destruction of evidence after the girl’s parents alleged their daughter was given bath and her undergarments washed.
