Panaji: The Goa bench of Bombay High
Court is expected to deliver judgement tomorrow on a petition
by state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane challenging the filing
of charge sheet against him for alleged criminal intimidation
on the grounds that it was a non-cognisable offence.
A chargesheet was filed against Rane under Section 506
of IPC (Punishment for Criminal Intimidation) last year for
allegedly threatening to kill social activist Aires Rodrigues.
Incidentally, Section 506 was made cognisable through
a notification issued in 1973 when Rane's father Pratapsingh
Rane was the Law Minister.
While the case against Rane was pending in the lower
court, the state government, on June 30, 2009, stated that it
was a non-cognisable offence.
A proposal was made by Advocate General of Goa Subodh
Kantak instructing all Public Prosecutors to withdraw all
cases filed by the police under Section 506 of IPC as the
section was non-cognisable.
The High Court verdict on July 21 will decide the fate
of all these proceedings filed under section 506 and pending
in various courts across Goa.
In a 73-page-chargesheet filed by the old Goa Police,
Rane faces charges under section 506 of Indian Penal Code
which carries a punishment of imprisonment of upto seven years
or fine, or both.
He has been accused of threatening to kill social
activist Aires Rodrigues on July 31, 2007.
The old Goa Police in their chargesheet against Rane
have named nine witnesses including his own wife Divya Rane.
Also Rodrigues himself was chargesheeted under this
section in connection with the 2004 Ribandar Church incident
involving a priest. He was acquitted after a five-year-long
legal battle.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 18:16