Team Herald
PANJIM: Former chief minister Digambar Kamat has accused the government of indulging in revenge politics by implicating him in the Louis Berger bribery scam.
The submission was placed before the High Court of Bombay at Goa, which is hearing final arguments in a Crime Branch (CB) application challenging the order of Special Court that granted Kamat anticipatory bail.
“BJP government is taking revenge by implicating me in this case because I quit the party and joined Congress. Their aim is to keep me behind bars even for a day or two,” his counsel Advocate Surendra Desai told the single Bench of K L Wadane on Wednesday.
“They feel that keeping me in jail will lower my image in society and in the political arena. Even my short custody will satisfy their ego,” he added.
Arguing further, Desai said CB should have first obtained the case-related documents from the US court where the admission of bribery was made, before zeroing in on any accused. He also reiterated that the statements of witnesses made before the judicial magistrate were forced.
With CB set to file a chargesheet in the case on Monday, the defence claimed that Kamat’s custody was not required. “Chargesheet means completion of the investigation,” he said. The matter has been adjourned for further arguments on Tuesday.
