SUNITA SAWANT ‘S PETITION AGAINST AIRES: HC TO HEAR ARGUMENTS ON NOV 30TH

PANJIM: Bombay High Court at Goa Justice N.A. Britto will on Nov 30th hear arguments on the petition filed by Police Inspector Sunita Sawant challenging the acquittal of Adv. Aires Rodrigues in the 2004 Ribandar Church case.

Adv. Rodrigues has raised preliminary objection to the petition stating that Inspector Sunita Sawant herself could not have filed a revision as it had to be filed by the State through its Public Prosecutor. Adv. Rodrigues’s contention is also that the law does not permit a second revision in the same case.

The first revision filed by the Government was dismissed by the Sessions Judge Mrs. Vijaya Pol on 4th June this year while upholding Panaji Chief Judicial Magistrate Mr.P.M.Shinde’s order discharging Adv. Rodrigues from the 2004 Ribandar Church case.

Judge Pol in her judgment had stated that Adv. Rodrigues was rightly discharged. Earlier Panaji Chief Judicial Magistrate Mr. P.M.Shinde had on 22nd December last year directed that further proceedings be stopped against Adv. Rodrigues in the charge sheet filed against him in connection with the 2004 Ribandar Church incident.

Along with Adv. Aires Rodrigues, 14 other Ribandar residents have been charge sheeted in the case including an 80 year old widow who is now bedridden. The charge sheet had been filed in connection with an incident that allegedly took place in 2004 at the Ribandar Church premises when Adv. Aires Rodrigues was leading an agitation demanding action against the then Ribandar Parish priest Fr. Newton Rodrigues for having allegedly molested a 13 year old girl from Ribandar.

The High Court will now have to decide whether Sunita Sawant could have filed the petition against Adv. Rodrigues and whether a second revision is maintainable in law.

The High Court will also have to decide on the objection raised by Adv. Aires Rodrigues that the two Special Public Prosecutors have not been officially appointed to appear in the revision petition against him filed by Inspector Sunita Sawant

Every hearing of the petition filed against Adv. Rodrigues is costing the State Rs 7000 by way of fees being paid to the two Special Public Prosecutors handling the case against Adv. Rodrigues. On 30th Nov will be the 6th hearing of this petition.