Team Herald
MARGAO: Principal Sessions Judge B P Deshpande on Friday adjourned to November 3 for arguments, the application filed by Aires Rodrigues against the Fatorda Police Inspector and Superintendent of Police South for not registering an FIR based on the complaint lodged by him against Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai.
Aires pointed out to the court that the prosecution did not comply with the direction of the court at the last hearing to furnish a copy of the reply in advance to him and said the reply was given just before the commencement of the hearing.
The Judge took a serious note of this and rejected the prosecution’s claim that Aires’ office was closed when they went to serve the copy. The judge asked what time did they go and opined that if the office was visited late in the night it would be closed.
Police Inspector Navlesh Desai in his reply filed on Friday said that since the complaint is based only on a video-voice recording, no cognizable offence has taken place to register an FIR and further stated that except for four or five sentences by Vijai, most of the conversation was by Kashinath Shetye.
Aires in his petition has sought a direction to the police to register an FIR against Vijai Sardessai for having committed cognizable offences under Indian Penal Code and also Prevention of Corruption Act. He also sought directions to the police to investigate all the people against whom suspicion is raised following a thorough investigation in the matter.
