HC SHOW CAUSE NOTICE TO JOHN: CHURCHILL BEHIND ALL THIS TO SAVE VALANKAS DEFEAT

PANJIM: The high court of Bombay at Goa on Thursday issued a notice to rape accused John Fernandes asking him to show cause as to why bail granted to him by Margao district and sessions court in the Russian woman’s rape case should not be cancelled.

Justice A P Lavande issued the notice while taking suo motu cognizance of the bail granted to Fernandes. Fernandes, who was in custody for over 15 months for allegedly raping a 25-year-old Russian woman in December 2009, had been granted conditional bail on April 1. The court had directed Fernandes to surrender his passport and not to leave the state without the court’s permission.

On September 17, 2010, the Supreme Court had declined to interfere with a high court order rejecting a bail application filed by Fernandes.

In its order, a division bench of the apex court had said, "However, in the facts and circumstances of this case, we deem it appropriate to request the trial court to take necessary steps to ensure that all the witnesses are examined at an early date and the trial be concluded as expeditiously as possible."

The Supreme Court had also stated: "In case the trial is not concluded within a period of six months from the date of communication of this order, the petitioner would be at liberty to revive his petition."  While rejecting the bail earlier, the high court had granted him liberty to apply to the session’s court for bail after the main prosecution witnesses had been examined in the trial.