PANAJI

A special court at Panaji has dismissed an application filed by advocate Aires Rodrigues, seeking to assist the prosecution in the trial against panchayat minister Mauvin Godinho and others in the Rs 4.5-crore power subsidy scam. The court, while dismissing the application, said that such a move would delay the proceedings.

 “It didn’t appear that the prosecution would be provided with any assistance, in fact, it would lead to further confusion, which would delay proceedings,” special judge Irshad Agha said.

“Once a chargesheet is filed, it may be difficult to withdraw the prosecution. Even if any such attempt is made, the intervener (Rodrigues) can watch the proceedings as a layman and in the event of him being aggrieved by any such act of the government or the complainant, he can resort to appropriate proceedings and challenge the actions of the government,” the court said referring to Rodrigues’s statement that chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who is a complainant in the case, may withdraw his plaint.

The court also found Rodrigues’ argument that the public prosecutor may be influenced by the government, to be baseless. “Unless there is material placed on record, the integrity and the capability of the public prosecutor cannot be doubted,” it said.