“If there is nothing to hide, why not address the media?’
TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: A day after the government decided to replace him in the Canacona building collapse case, special public prosecutor Adv Rajiv Gomes on Monday maintained that his revocation as SPP is clear indication that the case is not going to be taken to its logical end, even as he anticipated there will be no conviction.
He feared that many high and mighty people, including builders, bureaucrats and politicians, will never be held accountable due to failure in investigation, even as he reiterated that the case will be fairly probed only by the CBI. He also called for granting complete autonomy to the department of prosecution.
During his interaction with the media, Adv Gomes sought to know what has prevented the police to issue red corner notice or alert the Interpol if the builders have fled the country.
While thanking the Chief Minister for reposing faith in him and giving him an opportunity to represent the state in a crucial case like this, Adv Gomes said he is not bothered by the revocation, saying he did his best. “I believe that it is the solemn duty of a prosecutor to present the truth to the court. If there are apparent defects in the investigation, I feel that it is the duty of the prosecutor to reveal it to the court, if consistent requests to the police to rectify them bear no fruit. An honest prosecutor should not hide the falsities of unscrupulous investigators”, he said.
“If my only fault was in addressing the media, I would like to know whether regular prosecutors address the media. If there is nothing to hide, why not address the media? Did I disclose any secrets of investigation to the media? Did my disclosures adversely affect the investigation? Are the families of the dead and injured not entitled to know the status of investigation? When the police were not cooperating with me whom could I turn to, if not the judiciary and media? Is it not because of an active judiciary and relentless media in Goa that the investigation is apparently on the right track? Which government strategy did I interfere with? What sort of strategy was it to transfer the investigation from a team headed by a DySP to a sole police inspector? Why was a special team constituted only after the intervention of the court? Was there a strategy to help the accused, which I have upset?” he sought to know.
