PANJIM: The Additional Sessions Court released the bus which was attached by the police in the 2022 Patto-Panjim, student rape case. The accused had moved an application before the court praying for the release of the vehicle.
The Additional Sessions Judge released the vehicle upon executing an Indemnity Bond of Rs 10 lakh and directed the applicant to produce the vehicle as and when required for the purpose of investigation/trial/inquiry before the court/investigation officer.
He has also been ordered not to change the appearance of the vehicle and not to sell or transfer the ownership without the permission of the court. The investigation officer (IO) has been asked to click photographs of the vehicle specifically the last rear seat before releasing it. The IO has been directed to conduct panchanama of the vehicle before releasing the same as required by the Supreme Court guidelines.
The prosecution had objected for release of vehicle on the ground that the rape offence had been committed by the accused on the rear seat of the vehicle and that it was the crucial evidence.
It may be recalled that accused Chandrashekhar Lamani was arrested by Panjim police for raping a Mumbai-based student at Patto-Panjim, in his parked vehicle on December 25, last year. The accused committed the act when a group of students had come for a New Year’s eve party in Panjim from Mormugao.
