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Rape case: court issues notice to Goa government

Special Correspondent

“Explain why case can’t be handed over to CBI”

PANAJI: Reprimanding the Goa police for their inability to carry out a fair investigation in the German minor’s alleged rape case, the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court on Friday re-issued a show-cause notice to the State government seeking reasons why the case should not be handed over to a specialised agency like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The court also issued a show-cause notice to the accused seeking to know why his bail granted by the Goa Children’s Court should not be cancelled.

Hearing a suo motu public interest litigation petition in the matter, a two-member Bench led by Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court Swatanter Kumar and Justice N. A. Brito took to task the police officials involved in the investigation of the case in which Rohit Monserrate, son of Goa Education Minister Atanasio Monserrate, has been the main accused while a nephew of another senior Minister is also facing a complaint about alleged involvement. Moreover, the Minister himself is a co-accused as per the first information report.

Picking holes in the entire police investigations, dilly dallying by the police right from the beginning and expressing complete shock and dissatisfaction over the procedural lapses in the police investigation in a case which involves a heinous crime like minor’s rape, the Chief Justice warned the police officials, “do your investigation fairly and most openly and according to law, or it would cost you dearly.”

Justice Swatanter Kumar sought to know from the police why they have not done anything about the co-accused and other people named in the complaint.

On the background of the fact that the Goa Children’s Act considers minor’s rape a crime which attracts very severe punishment and considering the gravity of the case in question, the High Court disagreed with the decision of the Goa Children’s Court to grant a bail to the accused.

Once again directing the police to submit detailed affidavit pertaining to the investigations, the Court also directed the Forensic Laboratories which are dealing with the medical reports of the case to submit the same to the investigating authorities ahead of next hearing of the Court which has been fixed for December 10.

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