Justice U.V.Bakre of the Bombay High Court at Goa on Friday recused himself from hearing a petition filed by former Goa Director of Prosecution (DoP) Shobha Dhumaskar seeking a stay of the corruption charges she is facing under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Justice Bakre as Assistant Public Prosecutor was a colleague of Ms. Dhumaskar and was also the Law Secretary when she was DoP. The trial of Ms. Dhumaskar is scheduled to start on Saturday before the Special Judge B. P. Deshpande.
On September 6, the CBI court while rejecting the plea by the State Anti–Corruption Branch (ACB) to close the corruption case against Ms. Dhumaskar directed her to face trial as there was sufficient material to prima facie establish commission of an offence under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
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On August 5, 2011 activist lawyer Aires Rodrigues had filed a complaint with the ACB against Ms. Dhumaskar alleging her of corruption and causing loss to the State exchequer over a 76 sq mts flat in the city which was leased by the then DOP in a manner showing undue favouritism and causing loss to the State exchequer.
As the ACB declined to register the F.I.R against her, complainant had moved the court which on April 12, 2012 directed the ACB to register an F.I.R against her. The ACB had later sought that the case against Ms. Dhumaskar be closed which was strongly opposed by the complainant before the CBI court.