Panaji (Goa)
Adv. Aires Rodrigues has today stated that he would in public interest seek to assist the Prosecution in the trial of the multi crore Power Scam case against Mauvin Godinho which will begin later this month before the North Goa Special Court under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Adv. Rodrigues has stated that as the Complainant in the case Manohar Parrikar and the accused Mauvin Godinho have now become strange bedfellows there was apprehension that the two in collusion would derail the due process of law in a serious case of corruption where loss to the State exchequer was to the tune of crores of rupees.
Adv. Aires Rodrigues has expressed thanks to the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra for having ensured that the case against Mauvin Godinho which was pending before the Supreme Court for over a decade was finally heard yesterday.
Pointing out that the multi crore power scam case in the State of Goa involving the then Power Minister Mauvin Godinho with the complaint having been filed by Manohar Parrikar while he was an MLA and then in the Indian National Congress, Adv. Rodrigues in his letter to the Chief Justice on 24th November last year had stated that now in the changed political equations Mauvin Godinho is a Minister in Manohar Parrikar’s cabinet, having joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Objecting to the high-handed appointment of Additional Solicitor General Atmaram Nadkarni by the State Government in the case, Adv. Rodrigues had stated that the appointment of Atmaram Nadkarni was suspect and it was very obvious that the Government was trying to covertly shield their Minister Mauvin Godinho by appointing Atmaram Nadkarni to clandestinely get Mauvin Godinho freed in the power scam case.
A bench of the Supreme Court comprising of Justice N.V.Ramana and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer yesterday declined to give any relief to former Power Minister Mauvin Godinho in the infamous Power Scam case. Mauvin Godinho is currently the Panchayat Minister in the Manohar Parrikar led government. The Supreme Court told Mauvin Godinho that he should withdraw his petition and argue all his defence during the trial before the Special Court under the Prevention of Corruption Act in Goa.
Accordingly Mauvin Godinho withdrew the Special Leave Petition which he had filed in 2007 and had been pending in the Supreme Court for a decade. Mauvin Godinho had challenged the order passed by the Bombay High Court directing framing of charges against him in the multi-crore power scam case.
The Goa Government by an order issued on 4th August 2017 had appointed Additional Solicitor General of India Atmaram Nadkarni to appear in the case for the State but Atmaram Nadkarni did not appear in the matter yesterday.
It may be recalled that by an order dated October 26, 2007, then Bombay High Court at Goa Justice Nelson Britto had directed framing of charges against Mauvin Godinho under Section 13(1) (d) (i) and (iii) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 read with Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code in connection with the alleged power scam case.
Justice Nelson Britto had in his order also noted that the charges against Mauvin Godinho came to be investigated and charge sheet filed based on a complaint filed by Manohar Parrikar and that it appeared that the case took different turns depending upon which government was in power in Goa.
On 3rd May 2011 a Bench of the Supreme Court comprising of Justice R.V.Raveendran and Justice H.L.Dattu had also dismissed the Civil Appeal which was filed by Mauvin Godinho in the same matter.
