Judge pulls up CBI for failing to produce original complaint

Team Herald

PANJIM: The Panjim Sessions Judge Sherin Paul on Tuesday pulled up the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) counsel Manjit Singh for failing to produce the original complaint in the Panjim Police Station attack case even after giving three weeks time.

The Court asked as to why this chargesheet should not be dismissed and gave time till Friday, December 2 to produce the original complaint filed on February 19, 2008.

During the last hearing, the Court had granted CBI three weeks time to submit the original complaint based on which FIR was registered against the then Taleigao MLA Babush Monserrate, his wife Jennifer Monserrate, former CCP mayors Tony Rodrigues and Uday Madkaikar, former councillors Daya Karapurkar and Nagesh Karishetty, Taleigao sarpanch Janu Rosario and others.

According to the prosecution, on February 19, 2008 at around 7:30 pm, Monserrate and others along with 500 other people from Taleigao constituency held dharna/morcha in front of the Panjim Police Station, shouted slogans against the police demanding suspension of then PI Sudesh Naik since he did not take action against the complaint filed by one Ryan Godinho against Paulo, Imtiaz, Mosim, Tosim and Babani Shaikh.

Later at about 9 pm, Monserrate addressed morcha and gave time to the police to suspend the then Panjim PI within next half-an-hour failing which he threatened to take the morcha inside the police station. Some of the other accused too gave speeches instigating the members of the morcha to attack the police station, states the chargesheet.

At about 9:30 pm, all of a sudden without provocation from the police, the crowd pushed the police personnel who were cordoning the police station and attacked them with deadly weapons and with missiles like stones, broken bottles, etc. 

They also damaged the public property of Panjim Police Station including the door, glass windows and other property by pelting stones. They also damaged vehicles parked in the vicinity of the police station and set fire to a two-wheeler thereby causing loss of Rs three lakh approximately.

In the melee, about 41 police personnel sustained injuries and 25 of them had to be shifted to the hospital for treatment.

In all 37 persons have been chargesheeted by the CBI, SCB, Mumbai under Sections 143, 147, 148, 149, 153, 324. 325, 326, 332, 333, 427 and 435 of IPC and under Sections 3 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.

One of the accused died since while another accused has been declared as absconder.