Parsekar defends Goa CS in House

Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Monday defended State Chief Secretary R K Srivastava after he was targeted on the floor of the House by a legislator for having more than 30 cases against him.

Goa Vikas Party MLA Fransisco Miccky Pacheco during the Question Hour on Monday said that there are 36 cases pending against Srivastava which were filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Pacheco alleged on the floor of the House that the state government was protecting the tainted officer.

Defending Srivastava, Parsekar admitted in the House that he was ignorant about the cases pending against the Chief Secretary initially but later took information from him.

The Chief minister said a case was filed against Srivastava in 2008 after it was found that affidavits sworn in in one of the cases in which he acted as Registrar of Cooperative Societies were forged.

Parsekar said that affidavits were cleared by his junior officer and when the disciplinary inquiry was initiated against him, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had given him clean chit.

Similarly, he has also got stay on the prosecution against one of the 36 cases filed against him in the trial court, he said.

The chief minister said that MHA has given clearance for the state government to extend the service of Srivastava after his retirement.