PANJIM: Even as the State government decided to hand over the Banastarim accident case to Crime Branch after intense public pressure, the lawyers weren’t upbeat about this move, saying that nothing will change.
“There has been a sheer misconception that if any criminal investigation is handed over to the CBI or the local Crime Branch it would do wonders. Our Police Stations have some very competent officers and on an application by any aggrieved victim or his family the Court is by law allowed to monitor the investigation. So that needless crave for CBI or Crime Branch is a fallacy so very distant from the ground reality,” Adv Aires Rodrigues said.
Adv Pushkar N Navti from Ponda, said that there won’t be any major effect on the merit of the case, as the authorities investigating the case are the organs of the same police department.
“But if the investigation takes turn that woman was driving the vehicle, then it will be difficult to book her under Section 304 (II) of IPC as police skipped her blood test soon after the accident,” Adv Navti said.
Adv Pritam Da Piedade Morais from Margao said that handing over the Banastarim case to Crime Branch is eyewash by the government because both, Mardol police and Crime Branch belong to Goa Police.
“Crime Branch is not a specialised branch and they do not have expertise as it is just an extension of the police department. The government instead should appoint a special public prosecutor to assist the police in conducting proper investigation and in filing a full-proof chargesheet,” Adv Morais said.
Adv Amarnath Dessai also from Margao, said that investigation is almost complete.
“The government might have transferred the case to Crime Branch because of the demand locals. The accused is remanded to judicial custody and now claiming that a woman was driving the vehicle at the time of accident, will jeopardise the case. Police are also not sure and have summoned the vehicle owner,” he said.
According to Adv Melwin Fernandes from Vasco, in matters related to accidents, the police arrest the accused. But it should have conducted identification parade, where eyewitnesses should have identified the woman, who is said to be driving the vehicle.
“Police also can summon anybody for investigation and that does not mean that he or she will be arrested. The government has only done a cosmetic exercise to show that they are doing something concrete,” Adv Fernandes said.
Banastarim accident case handed over to Crime Branch
PANJIM: The State government on Friday handed over the investigation of the Banastarim horrific accident case to the Crime Branch, Ribandar.
Three persons died and three were critically injured in the accident due to drunken driving at Banastarim on August 6. Cumbarjua MLA Rajesh Faldesai along with Divar villagers had met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday and had demanded to transfer the investigation to the Crime Branch, alleging that the Mardol police were incompetent and had botched up investigation to favour the main accused, who they allege was the owner of Mercedes SUV Meghana Sawardekar.
The Crime Branch on Friday took over the case from the Mardol police station. All eyes are now on the Crime Branch as to what line of investigation they will be taking and whether they will accept the public theory and eyewitness account that Meghana Sawardekar was driving the killer Mercedes when the accident occurred.
The Mardol police had arrested Meghana’s husband Paresh Sawardekar, who has now been remanded in judicial custody.
