Sessions Court Adjourns Zenito Cardozo Bail Plea in Attack on Activist Rama Kankonkar

The Sessions Court on Friday adjourned to October 18 the bail plea of Zenito Cardozo, who has been arrested in con nection with the attack on social activist Rama Kankonkar. The hearing witnessed strong arguments from both sides, with the defence maintaining that Cardozo is being falsely implicated, while the prosecution and Kankonkar’s legal team highlighted his past criminal record and alleged attempts to destroy evidence. Cardozo’s lawyer contended that the case lacks a solid foundation, pointing out that Kankonkar did not name Cardozo in his initial statement to the police. “There is no direct allegation or suspicion raised by the victim against my client,” the defence told the court, describing the case as “politically motivated” and “exaggerated”. The Public Prosecutor, however, opposed the bail plea, submitting that Cardozo had deliberately deleted all data from his mobile phone, which could have been crucial elec tronic evidence. “The accused has tampered with digital evidence. If released on bail, there is every likelihood he will interfere with what remains and may intimidate wit nesses,” the prosecution argued. Kankonkar’s lawyer supported the prosecution’s claim and described Cardozo as a threat to society, alleging that he leads a criminal group and has a record of violating bail conditions. The counsel also informed the court that Car dozo has already been convicted in two separate criminal cases, with appeals pending before the Supreme Court. “If he is innocent, why hasn’t he offered any satisfacto ry explanation for wiping his phone clean? His criminal history dates back to 2005, and the pattern remains un changed,” the lawyer said. Cardozo has separately filed a petition before the Su preme Court challenging a High Court ruling that upheld his conviction in the 2009 Siridao gang war case. In that case, he was sentenced to three years for culpable homi cide not amounting to murder, an incident that had left two people dead. When contacted by O Heraldo, a retired Superintendent of Police criticised the current investigation, alleging that proper procedures were not being followed. He claimed that the motive behind the attack was being misrepre sented and that key aspects of the case were being handled poorly. “This government thinks the public is foolish and they alone are wise,” he said. “Under Indian law, any confession made before the police is inadmissible in court. Only a voluntary statement recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code is considered legally valid. Everything else is speculation and won’t stand up in court.” He also rejected the idea that the motive for the attack remains unclear. “There is no cognisable offence without a motive. Crime doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Someone had a reason — someone gave a supari for this,” he said, implying a contract had been issued for the attack. He suggested that the motive may be intentionally be ing kept vague and questioned why basic legal principles were being ignored. “It’s disheartening. When speculation replaces evidence, it begins to look like a cover-up.” Social activist Tanoj Adwalpalkar also raised concerns about the way the case is progressing. “While the inves tigation was swift immediately after the incident, it lost momentum afterwards. Also, there were compromises — Rama’s statement was leaked. If it was leaked, it must have been done deliberately,” he said. Adwalpalkar noted that Kankonkar had been working on initiatives for public welfare, including plans to launch an award. “He was trying to help people, and someone did not want that to happen. We no longer have faith in the police, and neither does Rama. I believe the investigation is not proceeding the way it should. The arrest was quick, but after that, the process seems to have faltered. All of Goa wants a fair and impartial investigation,” he said, adding that this was the reason they were demanding judicial su pervision, possibly by a retired High Court judge or mag istrate. Another activist, Sanjay Barde, criticised the police re sponse, particularly after Kankonkar made public state ments involving senior political leaders. “I have never seen police officers speak out to defend ministers. They were si lent when the attack took place, but once Rama mentioned the names of the Chief Minister and Tourism Minister, they came out in defence,” Barde said. He added that earlier, police officers were more inde pendent, but the situation has changed. “Now, young boys are being used by politicians for selfish ends. The govern ment knows who is really responsible but doesn’t want to act. And since the police report to the Home Minister — who Rama says he has doubts about — I don’t believe there will be a fair investigation.” he said