TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: South Goa Sessions Court has reserved order on September 12 in the application filed by RTI activist Kashinath Shetye seeking directions to the Anti-Corruption Bureau to register FIR against Power Minister Milind Naik.
Public Prosecutor Sarojini Sardinha argued that the complainant has nowhere stated in his complaint that the Power Minister had connived with the PWD to hot mix the road in Vasco on April 13, 2013, adding “std X students from Vasco, who were given extra time to answer final exam cannot be voters and as such influencing them does not arise.”
The Public prosecutor further argued that preliminary inquiry in the complaint lodge by Shetye was not required. Shetye had accused the Power Minister for malpractice, corruption and influencing his voters from Vasco on grounds that on April 3, 2013 on the final day of the SSC examination, when hot mixing of road was being carried out in Vasco, students from the city could not reach their respective examination centres on time due to the traffic jam.
It was his contention that the Vasco MLA and Power Minister later intervened and contacted the Chairman of the Board with a request to grant Vasco students extra half an hour to answer the paper on that day. He has claimed that grant of extra half an hour given to the Vasco students has amounted to corruption, adding that this facility could not be availed by other students in the state.
Shetye had earlier approached the ACB with complaint against the Power Minister, but the agency had refused to register the FIR. SP, South who also was approached by Shetye refused his plea.
Shettye thereafter approached the district court seeking direction be issued to ACB to register FIR against the Power Minister.
