MARGAO: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Thursday issued a bailable warrant against Margao Chief Officer Siddhivinayak Naik for not appearing before the court in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL).
The PIL was filed by Sanjeev Raiturkar against the Food and Drugs Administration, SGPDA, Margao municipality and others regarding the issue of formalin in the fish sold at the wholesale fish market.
Raiturkar informed that he had submitted the case papers along with the court summon to the municipality inward clerk on November 5 and December 5. On December 11, the Court had issued another notice which was delivered to the Municipality by the Court bailiff.
Sources in the municipality claim that the notice had not reached the Chief Officer’s office.
“The inward shows there is no signature of the clerk. That document was received in the Municipality on December 6 and it should have been given to the chief officer’s office by December 7. On Wednesday, the letter showed up in the tax section and it was given to the Chief Officer. With regards to the court summon, it was received late on Wednesday and therefore the Chief Officer could not take it up. The Chief Officer informed he will initiate a departmental inquiry,” said an officer in the Municipality.
Raiturkar responded to this claim stating that if it is true then there is a conspiracy to make the Chief Officer a scapegoat in the matter.
“I think the municipality is delaying the matter so that they can issue a trade licence to the wholesalers. But that is their internal matter. Irrespective of what went on in the municipality, the Chief Officer is responsible and has to face the court in the end,” Raiturkar said.
