MAPUSA: It’s almost a year since the land-grabbing cases rocked the State but the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and Commission of Inquiry have still not managed to prove that documents used by fraudsters in grabbing the ancestral lands of the victims of fraudulent deals, were forged.
While it is clear to almost everyone that dead people cannot come alive to “sell land” or people not yet born cannot trade their ancestral property, the forgers have not been criminally booked for such crimes. This could have opened up a faster channel to get to the bottom of most cases.
Neither the SIT nor the departments concerned have come on record regarding the verification of the forged documents, which is an important part of the entire scam. The victims have questioned whether the department concerned has initiated an inquiry and if it has then what is the outcome? These forged documents are prime evidence of the entire land grab and if proven it would make the case crystal clear.
One of the stakeholders assisting one of the victims said, “The requirements vide public notice, multiple sessions and dates of hearings provided by the judge heading the commission of inquiry, have added to the victims’ misery as they feel that Commission of inquiry appears to be an internal governmental housekeeping exercise which is governed by a four-point Terms of Reference vide a notification by the Department of Home Secretariat.
One of the most important questions they have asked is very pertinent. Is the Commission of Inquiry authorised to pass a judgment to revert the properties to their original owners?
Ashley Monteiro, who holds the Power of Attorney of Anacleto Vincent Monteiro, said, “At this juncture, there is no assurance but a very evident addition of an episode in this staged government response to a scam which is only bringing about the dilution of responsibilities, ambiguity, and complacency in the journey to justice. The common people of Goa keep raising such questions that cannot be blind-sighted by the educated people of that profession. However, they seem to be doing so. Is this their ignorance, unprofessionalism, or vested motives/interests that are driven by the elite and people in power, who just want to portray that they are moving the needle? But within their stained conscience, it’s just a mere dramatic act to derail the path to justice and protect the corrupt.”
Advocate Christina Dias, representing some of the victims asked, “Why was the SIT team subjected to cross-examination? Is this an inquiry commission or a court? Has it been given powers of a civil court? This Commission of Inquiry should be given the powers under Section 5B of the Commission Act to call the department experts to guide him and help him in the inquiry. Why are Sections 5A, 5B, 5C, 6 and of the Act (civil court powers) not given to the Commission to revert the entries back to original owners’ names?”
Advocate Dias said, “Which is the last date to submit the commission report to the government, and if the investigation is not completed by then, will the commission be granted an extension? Why is no official from the Mapusa Sub Registrar Office arrested despite substantial evidence produced before the SIT? Will the accused be let scot-free to commit more criminal acts in that department? We have proof of the register going missing even last month when the same was available in that department in March this year. Are the records of that department in safe custody?”
