As expected, buckling to political pressure, the Anti Corruption branch (ACB) has now sought to close the cheating case that was registered on 24thApril last year against Goa’s former controversial Director of Prosecution Shobha Dhumaskar.
The Government has apparently come to the rescue of Shobha Dhumaskar in gratitude for her helping ruling politicians last year. It may be recalled that Shobha Dhumaskar had on 29th May last year issued a circular directing all APPs and PPs to withdraw criminal cases pending against politicians. Accordingly criminal cases pending against some current Ministers and MLAs including Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly Mr. Rajendra Arlekar were swiftly withdrawn. After taking over a year to investigate the case, the ACB has now while seeking to close the corruption case against Shobha Dhumaskar informed the Special Court under the Prevention of Corruption Act that though the case against Shobha Dhumaskar was partly true the evidence was weak to charge sheet Mrs. Dhumaskar. This case only confirms that the ACB has become a caged parrot of the political bosses. Judge Anuja Prabhudesai of the Special Court under the Prevention of Corruption Act will now have to decide whether to direct the ACB to file the charge sheet against Shobha Dhumaskar or allow the case to be closed. On March 22nd this year, a Division Bench of the Bombay High Court at Goa comprising of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice R.P. Sondurbaldota had given the ACB six weeks to complete the probe against Shobha Dhumaskar. The Court directions came after it was submitted that though the F.I.R of cheating was registered against Shobha Dhumaskar on April 24th last year, that the ACB under political pressure was dragging its feet in the investigation. Despite an F.I.R of cheating and corruption registered against Shobha Dhumaskar, the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar instead of suspending her had high-handedly given her two extensions in service along with a hefty pay hike, apparently to get her to withdraw criminal cases pending against ruling party politicians. The F.I.R was registered against Shobha Dhumaskar on the directions of the Special Court under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The F.I.R was registered against Shobha Dhumaskar under Sections 420, 474 of the Indian Penal Code and also Section 13 (1) (d) (i) & (ii) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The complaint against Shobha Dhumaskar pertains to a 76 sq mts flat at ‘Mutual Apartments’, at Panaji leased by her in a manner showing undue favoritism and causing loss to the State exchequer. Documents revealed that Shobha Dhumaskar went out of the way to lease that flat without issuing a public advertisement. The then Director of Prosecution had taken the flat on a five year lease for an initial rent of Rs 30, 000/- a month with an annual rent hike of 10% every year, despite the PWD stating that rent is revised only every five years. The premises taken on lease was a residential flat with no permission given to use the premises for any other purpose, while Shobha Dhumaskar misled the Government that the flat was an office premises. It may be recalled that the then Director of Prosecution Shobha Dhumaskar had also in a very controversial legal opinion given on 22nd Feb 2010 opined that the son of Goa’s then IGP Mr. K.D Singh should not be charge sheeted in an accident case and that the case be closed as it would be difficult to prove the case in Court. On 4th December 2009 Mr. Siddharth Singh, the former IGP’s son while driving his father’s official vehicle to a night club at Vasco, crashed the vehicle while also damaging two electricity poles. The repair of that damaged Toyota Innova itself cost the State exchequer Rs 4, 33, 200. Aires Rodrigues T1 - B30, Ribandar Retreat Ribandar - Goa - 403006 Mobile: 9822684372
