Court dismisses case against AAP’s Cecille, others

Team Herald

PANJIM: The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Panjim dismissed a criminal case filed against AAP National Youth Wing President Cecille Rodrigues and four other Taleigao residents in relation to the unlawful assembly during Taleigao land (field) filling for the construction of the new panchayat ghar.

It may be recalled on May 27, 2020, former Taleigao sarpanch Agnelo D’Cunha and the panchayat secretary lodged an FIR with the Panjim police station against Rodrigues and four other Taleigao villagers. The five were charge-sheeted for forming unlawful assembly and obstructing them.

The Court has now dismissed the case against Rodrigues and four others and declared that all future procedures against the accused are stopped, and all the accused are discharged of the offences punishable under sections 143 and 341 of the Indian Penal Code.

“There is nothing on record to demonstrate that there was any unlawful assembly and that the accused were participants of such unlawful assembly. The fact that there were more than five people there, does not automatically imply that the gathering was illegal,” the court declared in response to the unlawful assembly claim brought against the five accused under section 143 of the IPC.