JMFC URGED TO VISIT RIBANDAR CHURCH PREMISES

PANJIM: Panjim Judicial Magistrate First Class Ms Sarika Phaldesai has been urged to visit the Ribandar Church where the alleged incident had taken place for which Adv. Aires Rodrigues and 14 other Ribandar residents have been charge sheeted.

Adv Rodrigues today moved an application under Section 310 of the Criminal Procedure Code seeking that the JMFC visit and inspect the site of the alleged incident to enable the Court to judge the evidence and circumstances of the case better.

Adv. Rodrigues in his application has further stated that the inspection of the site by the Judge was necessary as the Crime Branch which had investigated the case has not submitted any sketch, plan or diagram of the incident site. The JMFC will on 2nd June hear arguments on this application filed by Adv. Rodrigues.

The court today examined a prosecution witness Mrs. Connie Rosario, a teacher at Red Rosary School at Miramar who was a member of the church committee headed by then Ribandar Parish Priest Fr. Newton Rodrigues.

Mrs. Rosario in her deposition today stated that she was in a very confused state of mind on the day of the incident in 2004 and remains confused even today after almost seven years of that incident.  On being cross-examined by Adv. Aires Rodrigues for over two hours Mrs. Rosario agreed that the church bells were rung that night following which hundreds of Ribandar residents assembled at the Church.

Mrs. Rosario further agreed that all the people later proceeded to Old Goa Police Station as the then Parish Priest Fr. Newton Rodrigues was taken to the police station. She also agreed that Fr. Newton Rodrigues was accused of having allegedly molested a 13 year old Ribandar girl.

Panjim Judicial Magistrate First Class Ms Sarika Phaldesai today adjourned hearing of the case to 2nd June at 10 am for examination of other witnesses.

This is the second charge sheet filed by the police against Adv. Aires Rodrigues in connection with the Ribandar Church incident. While the current trial is on the complaint filed by Fr. Newton Rodrigues the earlier charge sheet was on the complaint by the Superior of Ajuda Convent at Ribandar Sister Celia Fernandes

Acquitting Adv. Aires Rodrigues on 9th April 2009 in that case the then Panjim Judicial Magistrate First Class Mrs. Sharmila Patil had in her judgment stated that the allegations against Adv. Rodrigues seem to have been manipulated and that he was falsely implicated in the case. Judge Patil had also held that the possibility of the complaint against Adv. Rodrigues having been lodged due to political interference could not be ruled out.

In 2004 Adv. Aires Rodrigues was leading an agitation demanding action against Fr. Newton Rodrigues for having allegedly molested a 13 year old Ribandar girl. While Adv. Rodrigues and others were charge sheeted for confronting Fr. Newton Rodrigues, the case filed against Fr.Newton Rodrigues by the mother of the 13 year old girl who was allegedly molested by Fr. Newton has been closed.