MARGAO: After 21
years, former Goa Cricket Association (GCA) president Dayanand Narvekar and
eight others were acquitted of the charges of printing fake tickets during the
ODI cricket match played between India and Australia at Fatorda on April 6,
2001.
The infamous cricket ticket scam
had rocked the State as the police had to resort to lathicharge to disperse the
crowd who were not allowed to enter the stadium despite having valid tickets.
Though the official seating capacity of the Fatorda stadium was only around
30,000, the stadium was packed with over 50,000 people. Besides this, at least
10,000 cricket fans had to go back as all the gates were closed by 8.30 am. The
irate mob was forcibly dispersed by the police.
On July 8, the Judicial Magistrate
First Class (JMFC), Margao acquitted all the accused as the prosecution failed
to prove their case.
Besides Narvekar, the then GCA
secretary Vinod alias `Balu’ Phadke, Rama Shankardas, Eknath Naik, Gangaram
Bishe, and ticket contractor Chinmay Fallari and his brother Devdutt Fallari,
Venkatesh Desai and Joaquim Pires were chargedsheeted uner various sections of
Indian Penal Code (IPC).
In the chargesheet the Margao police had said that Narvekar,
Phadke, Shankardas and GCA member Vivek Pednekar, had failed to `undertake
measures for the safety of public, endangering human lives and there was also a
failure to verify between genuine and fake ticket holders.
While acquitting the accused, the JMFC directed all nine persons
to furnish a bond of Rs 10,000 each, under Section 437-A CrPC within 30 days
from the date of the order.
Two Special Public Prosecutors were appointed by the government
to represent the State. But one of the special public prosecutors Adv V Borkar
withdrew from appearing in the court.
Earlier, Narvekar had to quit as Cabinet Minister in
2008 after the police charsheeted him and others. But the High Court of Bombay
at Goa stayed the chargesheet filed against Narvekar and two others in August
2008.
