Panaji: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday requested Goa Governor Mridula Sinha not to grant pardon to state legislator Francisco Miccky Pacheco, who is serving a six-month jail term for slapping a government employee.
The AAP delegation, led by party's Goa secretary Valmiki Naik, met the Governor this afternoon and told her that allowing pardon to Pacheco would be a "travesty of justice".
The Goa Cabinet last week moved a resolution granting pardon to the jailed MLA, who has assaulted the state employee in 2006. However, the Goa Vikas Party MLA, who has been in jail for the last two months, had moved a mercy petition before the state government seeking a waiver of the jail sentence.
However, AAP members today pointed out that the power to pardon under Article 161 of the Constitution is founded on consideration of public good and is to be exercised on the grounds of public welfare, which is finally the legitimate aim of all punishments.
"This issue is about aam aadmi (common man), who sits in the Government offices and serves common people. If a person, that too an elected representative, is allowed to assault a government employee and get away with it even after the highest court (Supreme Court) in the country has convicted that person, it would be a travesty of justice," they said.
Naik said that granting pardon to Pacheco would send a wrong signal that could endanger the safety and the respect of all government employees, who are expected to do their jobs without fear or favour.
Besides AAP, a delegation of Goa Government Employees Association (GGEA) also called on the Governor and made a similar request.
Urging Sinha not to grant pardon to Pacheco, the GGEA representatives said that government servants in various ranks and positions have started feeling insecure and fear that if the assent is given then assaulting government servant on duty will become rule of the day for getting anything done by threatening.
