The Panaji Police have moved the Judicial Magistrate First Class seeking to close the cheating and misappropriation case that was registered in 2008 against the then Goa’s Urban Development Secretary RP Pal.
The Panaji Police on 1st September 2008 had registered an F.I.R against RP Pal and his wife Putul under Sections 420, 406, 468, 120 (B) read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code for conspiring to dishonestly misappropriate and cheat the Corporation of the City of Panaji. Rs.147 per day was being illegally paid by the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) to Putul Pal, wife of the then Urban Development Secretary R.P Pal as a daily wage sweeper under a fake name of Rakeshwari Hannur while the cashier of the CCP was handing over the money periodically to Putul Pal and her thumb impression was being obtained on the receipts. Another complaint was filed at the Porvorim Police Station on 6th September 2008 that RP Pal and Putul Pal were fraudulently also drawing from the Secretariat funds the salary of a non existent NMR (Non Muster Roll) worker also under a fake name of Mayarani Sharma. No person by the name of Mayarani Sharma was working at the residence of RP Pal. The arrangement of receiving the amount fraudulently in the name of Mayarani Sharma from the cashier at Porvorim Secretariat was allegedly done at the instance of RP Pal while the thumb impression on the receipts was that of Putul Pal. Incidentally a week after the F.I.R was registered, RP Pal an IAS officer was transferred to Lakshadweep and later moved on to Pondicherry where he retired two years ago. Now after almost seven years of a very shoddy investigation the Panaji Police while seeking to close the case have stated that the complaint against RP Pal and his wife Putul was true but have claimed that there was no enough evidence against the duo. But the Court must now direct the police to complete the investigation and charge sheet RP Pal and his wife Putul for having defrauded the State exchequer. The current trend of the BJP government in Goa of closing criminal cases against the rich and well connected is only a glaring proof that the policy of Zero action against the corrupt is now official. Aires Rodrigues Advocate High Court C/G-2, Shopping Complex Ribandar Retreat, Ribandar – Goa – 403006 Mobile No: 9822684372 Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012 Email: [email protected] Or [email protected] You can also reach me on Facebook.com/ AiresRodrigues Twitter@rodrigues_aires
