PANJIM: During the proceedings of the 2004 Ribandar Church case against Adv. Aires Rodrigues and 14 others today the Court of Panaji Judicial Magistrate First Class today witnessed a verbal spat between the Judge Mrs. Sarika Faldessai and Assistant Public Prosecutor Mrs. Frances Noronha.
A visibly annoyed Judge Faldessai while strongly and sternly reprimanding APP Noronha for the manner in which she was addressing the Court, told the APP “at least show some respect for the Chair I am occupying”.
The Judge and APP today got into an argument when Adv. Aires Rodrigues was cross examining then Crime Branch Police Inspector Mr. Braz Menezes on the advice given by Director of Prosecution Mrs. Shobha Dhumaskar in the in the 2004 Ribandar Church case.
The Judge told the APP that if she had any issue with any question that was being put to Inspector Braz Menezes by Adv. Aires Rodrigues, she should officially raise her objection instead of casting aspersions on the functioning of the Court.
The cross examination of Inspector Braz Menezes which remained incomplete today will now continue on July 5th. Earlier today on being cross examined by Adv. Aires Rodrigues for over an hour Inspector Braz Menezes conceded that though he was the Investigating officer of the Ribandar Church case, all the directions in the case were being issued by his Superiors.
Adv. Aires Rodrigues today submitted to the court a copy of the official noting sheets of the Ribandar Church case obtained by him under the Right to Information Act from the Crime Branch.
On being confronted with the copy pf the noting sheets Inspector Braz Menezes conceded that the case file was sent to the Director of Prosecution, Advocate General, Law Secretary as well as the Chief Secretary for their opinion. Inspector Braz Menezes also conceded that as per the file notings then Chief Minister Mr. Pratapsingh Rane had on 4th February 2005 directed that the charge sheet against Adv. Aires Rodrigues be filed.
Earlier today, JMFC Mrs Sarika Faldessai stated that she will on June 30th hear arguments on the application filed by Father Newton Rodrigues seeking to withdraw the complaint against Adv. Aires Rodrigues.
Adv. Rodrigues today filed his preliminary objection to Fr. Newton Rodrigues’s application stating that Fr. Newton Rodrigues against whom a warrant of arrest is pending cannot make any application to the Court unless he first surrenders before the Court and gets his warrant canceled.
Further stating that Father Newton Rodrigues’s application was not within the provisions of law, Adv. Rodrigues today accused Assistant Public Prosecutor Mrs. Frances Noronha of acting in the case as an agent of Father Newton Rodrigues instead of discharging her duties as an APP in accordance with law.
A visibly annoyed Judge Faldessai while strongly and sternly reprimanding APP Noronha for the manner in which she was addressing the Court, told the APP “at least show some respect for the Chair I am occupying”.
The Judge and APP today got into an argument when Adv. Aires Rodrigues was cross examining then Crime Branch Police Inspector Mr. Braz Menezes on the advice given by Director of Prosecution Mrs. Shobha Dhumaskar in the in the 2004 Ribandar Church case.
The Judge told the APP that if she had any issue with any question that was being put to Inspector Braz Menezes by Adv. Aires Rodrigues, she should officially raise her objection instead of casting aspersions on the functioning of the Court.
The cross examination of Inspector Braz Menezes which remained incomplete today will now continue on July 5th. Earlier today on being cross examined by Adv. Aires Rodrigues for over an hour Inspector Braz Menezes conceded that though he was the Investigating officer of the Ribandar Church case, all the directions in the case were being issued by his Superiors.
Adv. Aires Rodrigues today submitted to the court a copy of the official noting sheets of the Ribandar Church case obtained by him under the Right to Information Act from the Crime Branch.
On being confronted with the copy pf the noting sheets Inspector Braz Menezes conceded that the case file was sent to the Director of Prosecution, Advocate General, Law Secretary as well as the Chief Secretary for their opinion. Inspector Braz Menezes also conceded that as per the file notings then Chief Minister Mr. Pratapsingh Rane had on 4th February 2005 directed that the charge sheet against Adv. Aires Rodrigues be filed.
Earlier today, JMFC Mrs Sarika Faldessai stated that she will on June 30th hear arguments on the application filed by Father Newton Rodrigues seeking to withdraw the complaint against Adv. Aires Rodrigues.
Adv. Rodrigues today filed his preliminary objection to Fr. Newton Rodrigues’s application stating that Fr. Newton Rodrigues against whom a warrant of arrest is pending cannot make any application to the Court unless he first surrenders before the Court and gets his warrant canceled.
Further stating that Father Newton Rodrigues’s application was not within the provisions of law, Adv. Rodrigues today accused Assistant Public Prosecutor Mrs. Frances Noronha of acting in the case as an agent of Father Newton Rodrigues instead of discharging her duties as an APP in accordance with law.
APP must be on the pay roll of the priest. She should be fair and not favor one side. The learned Judge is right in remarking the same in a lighter vein.
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