Team Herald
PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Tuesday disposed of the anticipatory bail application filed by former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Goa Prant chief Subhash Velingkar as he complied with the notice of the Bicholim police station under section 35 of BNSS.
Velingkar’s senior advocate S D Lotlikar said that anticipatory bail had been granted to him since he applied for it, and the application stands disposed of. The intervenors in the petition, however, argued that since Velingkar appeared before the investigating officer at Bicholim Police Station, the question of arrest and granting anticipatory bail does not arise.
However, the High Court has also directed that certain observations made by the North Goa Additional District Court, Panjim regarding the merits of the case in his order denying anticipatory bail to Velingkar should be expunged from the record. Velingkar has been asked to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
Adv Amit Palekar, who was the counsel for intervenor Velim MLA Cruz Silva, asserted that the role of the intervenor in bringing the accused to justice in the trial process begins now.
Velingkar had approached the High Court after the North Goa Additional District and Sessions Court, Panjim on October 7 dismissed his anticipatory bail application for his “DNA test” remarks on St Francis Xavier.
On October 10, in the High Court, Velingkar gave an undertaking that he will appear before the investigating officer at the Bicholim police station, who had issued him three notices under Section 35 (3) of BNSS. Accordingly, was quizzed on two occasion by the police, first time for 20 minutes and on the second day for nearly three hours.