HIGH COURT DISPOSES PLEA OVER THE CBI HANDLING POLICE DRUG NEXUS INVESTIGATION

PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Wednesday disposed of a petition seeking a CBI probe into the police-drug mafia nexus in the State.   The move follows an assurance from senior counsel Carlos Ferreira, appearing on behalf of the Central Government that they will issue a notification under section 5 of the Delhi Police Establishment Act, authorising the CBI to take over the nexus probe.

While disposing the petition, the division bench comprising of Justices S C Dharmadhikari and F M Reis observed that CBI properly investigates the cases.

The CBI, represented by senior counsel S Rivankar, in its submission to the Court earlier last month agreed to probe into the three cases involving Israeli drug dealers David (Dudu) Driham, Yaniv (Atala) Benaim and seven policemen and police sub-inspector Sunil Gudlar.

The State government has already issued notification under section 6 of the Delhi Police Establishment Act entrusting the CBI to take over the cases. After the issuance of the three notifications by the Centre, the CBI will initiate a probe.  Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India had moved the High Court on January 14 seeking a CBI probe into the policemen-drug peddler nexus cases.

In the petition, NSUI Goa chief Sunil Kawathankar said the case should be handed over to the central investigation agency as the conduct of the police officers probing it was ‘doubtful.’  Seven policemen were arrested last year after Atala had confessed about his links with the policemen who were allegedly supplying him drugs.

Swedish national and Atala’s former girlfriend Lucky Farmhouse Amori had shot the confession with a spycam and uploaded the video on a social networking site, exposing the policemen-drug peddler nexus in the State.

Whereas, Dudu was caught red-handed with several kilograms of narcotics in his possession from near his house at Anjuna in February 2010. Earlier this year, PSI Guddlar was placed under suspension when he was sighted hobnobbing with the family members of Dudu.