Says clarification sought on PPs statement
TEAM HERALD
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
PANJIM: Making a strong statement on the floor of the House, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar Tuesday ruled out that the government had interfered in any way in the Sameer Mapari murder case trial, which resulted in acquittal of the three accused.
“Sameer’s case happened during the Congress regime. Today Nilesh Cabral is in BJP probably because of this case… we prefer a person without a blot,” Parrikar told the state legislative assembly.
The chief minister stated that the government had sought a clarification from public prosecutor Sarojini Sardinha, on her reported statement that she was being pressurized during the trial.
Quoting her clarification, the chief minister said that PP had faced a trauma from July 2009-February 2012 by two accused, when Congress government was in power.
“This makes it (clear) that my government did not interfere. The whole interference was (done) during Congress regime,” he said.
The chief minister assured the House to speed up the activity of constructing forensic lab for state police. “I have called for the report, though the report is not encouraging. Money was not spent at the right place,” he alleged.
The House witnessed noisy scenes on the acquittal of Rajesh Desai, Balesh Desai and Vinay Desai last month, in the 2007 killing of Xelvona youth,.
Independent MLA Vijai Sardesai went to the extent of accusing the government of going soft on the case even as the acquittal is being challenged.
He alleged that accused Rajesh Desai is related to a former BJP minister Ramrao Desai and it was for this reason that government is not serious to get justice to the Mapari family. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar strongly objected to the allegations and assured to produce a detailed report in the House.
It may be recalled that PP Sardinha, speaking to reporters after the South Goa Additional Sessions Court passed the acquittal verdict, said she was under pressure.
Earlier a BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral urged the government to immediately commission the forensic lab, the absence of which resulted in the failure of the prosecution in the Mapari case. “When parents identified Sameer’s body, the forensic laboratory in Hyderabad could not identify his body ….forensic lab should be brought (established in) to Goa,” he said.
The DNA blood of father and mother was taken but CFSL was it not able to carry out tests and hence DNA could not be matched. The fact that the body was of Sameer could not be established.
Sameer’s body was found after over a week, from his being kidnapped and killed. The trial lasted for nearly five years and the prosecution examined around 100 witnesses in support of its case.
