Team Herald
PANJIM: Rejecting the Crime Branch move to close the Serula Comunidade land grab case against former tourism minister Dilip Parulekar, North Goa District and Sessions court on Thursday asked him to face the trial in court.
The Court directed that a process be issued against Parulekar, Peter Martins, the then attorney of Comunidade of Serula and Irene Sequeira, the then Administrator of Comunidades, North Zone.
The three accused have been directed to appear in Court on June 17 to face trial for offences under Sections 119, 120, 420 read with 120-B of the Indian Penal Code and Section 13(1)(c) and (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The Court, in December last year, while rejecting the Crime Branch plea to close the case against Parulekar had noted that it was not satisfied with the investigation and took cognizance of the complaint filed by advocate Aires Rodrigues and conducted an inquiry.
Opposing the move to close the case, Rodrigues submitted to the court that Crime Branch in an attempt to shield Parulekar had derailed and vitiated the investigation by falsely and malafiedly portraying to the court that Parulekar was a victim who was misled by comunidade officials.
On Rodrigues’ complaint, the Mapusa JMFC on January 16, 2014 had directed Porvorim Police to register an FIR against Parulekar, Martins and Sequeira for various offences. The investigation of the case was later transferred to the Crime Branch.
Rodrigues, in his complaint, had drawn the court’s attention that 599 sq mts of prime land on Chogm Road at Porvorim was given to Parulekar without auction and without following the procedure contemplated under the Code of Comunidades and that the intention was to fraudulently facilitate doling out prime comunidade land to Parulekar.
