HC notice to Goa Govt in building case

The Bombay High Court today issued notice to the Goa government on a petition filed by a social worker challenging the order of a lower court declining to transfer a case pertaining to renting of a building when Manohar Parrikar was Chief Minister.
Justice S B Shukre of the Goa bench of the court, after issuing the notice, adjourned the hearing to February 15.
Social activist Aires Rodrigues had petitioned the High Court that the case against renting the 'Spaces' building should not be heard in the courts which are currently shifted to the same building.
The order also stayed further proceedings of the case, which is currently pending before the court of Panaji Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashley Noronha located in Spaces building.

All the lower courts in Panaji were recently shifted from a Portuguese-era structure to Spaces building located on the city outskirts.
In his petition before the High Court, Rodrigues had sought attention of the bench that "itwould not be proper and conducive that the case pertaining toSpacesbuilding be heard by a court sitting in that very premises".

The activist-cum-lawyer urged the High Court to itself hear the case or transfer it to any other court, preferably to South Goa, in the interest of justice and to ensure there is no room for any conflict of interest.
In a complaint filed on February 6 last year at the Panaji Police Station, Rodrigues had alleged that Parrikar and building owner Nilesh Amonkar committed offences under sections 420, 406, 409 read with Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code by having conspired, cheated and caused loss to the state exchequer in the renting of office premises at'Spaces' and 'Kamat Towers' in Patto Plazaat an exorbitant annual rent of over Rs 5.5 crores.

Later, in his petition filed before the Panaji Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) under section 156(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code, Rodrigues had charged that the Panaji Police was acting as "caged parrots" in shielding the politically influential accused Parrikar and Amonkar.
Rodrigues, in his petition, also sought that the police be directed to promptly investigate the case and that the court monitor the investigations.