PANJIM: Crime Branch Police Inspector Sunita Sawant’s petition filed in the High Court challenging the acquittal of Adv. Aires Rodrigues in the 2004 Ribandar Church case has developed yet another snag.
On 15th November Bombay High Court at Goa’s Justice N.A. Britto had directed that fresh notice be issued to Adv. Aires Rodrigues with his correct name.
The High Court registry however has not issued the notice as the Special Public Prosecutor Mahesh Amonkar failed to pay the required postage fees of Rs 32 to send the notice to Old Goa Police Station to be served on Adv. Rodrigues.
It is not known whether the Special Public Prosecutor failed to deposit the postage charges out of sheer professional negligence or was intentionally.
The matter will now be placed before Justice Britto on Nov 22nd who will have to decide as to how to proceed with the matter.
Adv. Aires Rodrigues had declined to accept the earlier notice sent to him by the High Court as it was not addressed to ‘Aires Rodrigues’ but ‘Aries Rodrigues’
Every hearing of the case is costing the government Rs 7000/- by way of fees being paid to the two Special Public Prosecutors appointed to handle the case against Adv. Rodrigues.
Inspector Sunita Sawant’s petition follows the dismissal of the earlier revision petition filed by the Government against Adv. Aires Rodrigues. It 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.
This is a mockery of justice. PP Amonkar failed to pay Rs. 32.00 postage fee? Was he paying this from his own pocket??? And every hearing costs the government Rs. 7000/-. Isn't it the tax payers' money??? So why the government, who the tax payers are paying, doesn't take appropriate action towards their duties?? I will tell you why. They are all illiterate or pretending to be illiterate, including the judges and public prosecutors. Ars...les all. I wonder if they have that too. The only hole they have is their open mouth for greed.
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