TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Supreme Court’s landmark order, Tuesday, which set a one-year deadline for completion of trial proceedings in cases filed against sitting MPs and MLAs, will have implications for a lot of incumbent and past elected representatives of the state.
The order which comes in the backdrop of Lok Sabha polls slated to begin from April 9 has brought into focus the oft repeated dictum of political parties that their members are guilty only after conviction.
On December 10, 2013, the South Goa Sessions Court had directed that charges be framed against Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar, former minister Prakash Velip and seven others in the 2011 Balli rioting case in which two tribal youth died during the violent protests. However, Narendra Sawaikar, who will contest the south Goa seat on a BJP ticket was exonerated.
The fate of Tawadkar will be clear, not too long from now, as the trial in the case began on January 6 and as per the apex court’s order, it has to conclude in one year’s time.
Before that the legislators Jennifer and Atanasio Monserrate trial in the five-year-old Panjim police station attack case, is yet to begin. Although the cases were charge sheeted in 2009 and 2010, arguments for framing of the charges against them ironically are yet to start. The case trial will commence only thereafter.
The MLA couple along with 35 others are chargesheeted in the case for allegedly attacking the police station, wanton destruction and causing injury to police personnel on February 19, 2008.
The St Cruz MLA has two charge sheets filed against him.
Flamboyant Goa Vikas Party chief Francisco alias Mickky Pacheco, who has a string of criminal cases against him was convicted in one case but set free thereafter. The relief was short-lived as the High Court took suo-moto cognisance of the order.
Mickky was admonished and set free though he is technically convicted after he challenged the trial court order’s convicting sentencing him to one year and subsequently six month’s imprisonment in connection with the assault case wherein he was charged with slapping a junior engineer.
Former Congressman Dayanand Narvekar who floated the Goa Democratic Front earlier this month, still remains entangled in the infamous cricket ticket gate scam. Although he has not been an elected representative for quite a while, the politician is set to contest the north Goa Lok Sabha seat under the newly GDF.
The 12-year-old case was chargesheeted naming him and eight others in 2008. But the trial is still lingering. The then BCCI vice president had moved the High Court seeking quashing of the lower courts’ order for framing charges against him. The plea was dismissed last year with the High Court directing the judicial magistrate to hear the charges against the accused.
They were charged for intentionally placing orders for 29,000 tickets and complimentary passes, which was beyond the total seating capacity of the stadium of 27,300 spectators. Several thousand people were lathicharged despite possessing genuine tickets.
Besides this there are various FIRs filed or sought to be filed against legislators like Glen Ticlo, Caetano Silva, Rajendra Arlekar, Dilip Parulekar and even Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Incidentally the chief minister has obtained a stay on his FIR.
