Team Herald
PANJIM: Terming the assault on Adv Gajanan Sawant as violation of human rights and a serious threat to functioning of the legal fraternity, the Goa High Court Bar Association on Saturday demanded a magisterial inquiry in the case and further sought answers from the State Police.
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The Association held an extraordinary meeting of the Managing Committee to consider the untoward incident and the grievous assault by police officials/staff on Sawant.
“The untoward incident by the officials/staff of the Porvorim Police Station in brutally assaulting and using excessive force on an advocate in question who went to the site, at the request of his client, is highly deprecated and condemned. After deliberation and discussion, it was felt that the police authorities ought to have been cautious and circumspect in a civil dispute,” the Association said.
The association said, “The committee feels that registering an FIR in the incident is not enough. There are many questions that the in charge of the Porvorim Police Station has to answer to the legal fraternity, as to whether there was any complaint of a cognisable offence lodged before the police station, for them to act and go to the site in question, and assault the advocate concerned, whether they could do so in a civil dispute and whether the use of excessive force was justifiable, no matter what the provocation, if any, was.”
“The association requests the Home Minister, who is presently the Chief Minister, the Law Minister and the Director General of Police of the State, that a Magisterial Inquiry be conducted by the District Collector, and the concerned police officials/staff, if prima facie found to be guilty of misuse of authority, that they be put to suspension and also relegated to a Department Inquiry, and the First Information Report, be thoroughly investigated, and the erring police officials be brought to trial/justice expeditiously and within a short period of time,” the association demanded.
“The actions of the police officials/staff, irrespective of its merits, are a violation of human rights and a serious threat to functioning of the legal fraternity,” the association said.
The association said it will forward copies of this resolution for information and necessary action to the Chief Justice, High Court of Bombay and the Senior Administrative Judge at Goa, the Principal District & Sessions Judge, North Goa, the Chief Minister of Goa, the Law Minister of Goa, the Chief Secretary and the Directorate General of Police, Goa.
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Police reluctant to arrest cops: Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa; warns of counter action by lawyers
PANJIM: Condemning the dastardly attack on lawyer Gajanan Sawant, the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa has warned of legal and counter action by the lawyers from both the States if the police fail to take action.
Adv Sangram Desai, Vice Chairperson of the Maharashtra and Goa Bar Association said, “It seems that the police are reluctant to arrest the accused.”
Desai said, “Till date there is no progress in the investigation at all.”
The injuries are serious and immediate action had to be taken.”
The Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa will convene a special meeting on December 18 wherein all 25 lawyers from the Council, who represent 1.80 lakh lawyers, will protest the police attack on Sawant.
“We are warning the police that if action is not taken there will be a legal and a counter action by the lawyers from Goa and Maharashtra,” Adv Desai warned.
