Team Herald
PANJIM: The State government has denied any human right violation against Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) designated officer Iva Fernandes, while stating that her complaint is malicious and not sustainable in the eyes of law.
“The respondent submits that complaint does not disclose any human right violation as defined by the complainant. The respondent submits that complaint filed by the complainant is meritless, without any legal basis, malicious and is not sustainable in the eyes of law,” FDA Director Jyoti Sardessai said in her submission before the approached Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC).
“Therefore, no cognizance needs to be taken of the same,” she said, urging the Commission to dismiss the complaint at the very initial stage itself.
Fernandes, who had on July 12 headed the team of FDA officials that raided the SGPDA wholesale fish market and found fish laced with formalin, had approached GHRC complaining of harassment by FDA officials. She has pleaded with the Commission to issue direction to the State government to take action against the FDA director for humiliation and violation of her human rights.
In her complaint, Fernandes said that she is mentally and physically disturbed by the ill-treatment by the FDA director. She also alleged that she has been targeted, sidelined and subjected to hostile discrimination for being truthful and honest on duty. Fernandes claimed that she is subjected to open hostility on an almost daily basis by the FDA director and humiliated in front of staff members and public for making public the formalin-in-fish raid report.
The Director also said that the allegations of hostile discrimination are false. “The complainant contentions are false, fabricated and based on concocted facts which are misleading and puts the complaint to strict proof. Falsely alleged that the complaint has been subjected to hostile discrimination,” the Director said.
In her complaint, Fernandes had drawn the attention of the Commission to the innumerable and frequent instances of violation of her human rights, particularly of ill-treatment and of not allowing her to carry out duties commensurate with the nature of the post.
