U.G.C. 36th Annual Draw.
U.G.C is pleased to welcome all teams for our 36th annual draw which will be held on 23rd September 2011 at 9:30am on Al-Nassr Stadium, Abbasiya during the C.R.C tournament.
All K.I.F.F affiliated clubs are kindly requested to send their representatives to witness the draw.
Thanking you in advance for your usual co-operation.
UNITED GOANS CENTER,
KUWAIT.
September 18, 2011
ADV. AMIT DESAI CHEATS GOA GOVERNMENT.
MUMBAI SENIOR ADVOCATE AMIT DESAI ACCUSED OF CHEATING GOA GOVT BY FIVE LAKHS.
The Goa Government was billed Rupees five lakhs by a Senior Advocatefrom Mumbai Mr. Amit Desai for four hearings in the High Court henever attended. This has been revealed in the information furnished bythe Goa Police to Adv. Aires Rodrigues under the Right to InformationAct.
Senior Advocate Amit Desai billed the Goa Government Rs 3, 75,000 forappearing before the Bombay High Court at Goa on 26th, 27th and 28thNovember 2008 but the Court records do not show his appearance. Healso billed the Government for another Rs 1, 25,000 for an appearanceon 13th Jan 2009 while the records show that there was no hearing ofthe case on that day. Interestingly the Goa Government paid Adv. AmitDesai the amount without requiring him to produce an appearancecertificate issued by the High Court as is mandatory before anygovernment advocate is paid.
Documents also obtained by Adv. Aires Rodrigues under the RTI Act fromthe Home Department reveals that Advocate General of Goa Subodh Kantakhad by a note on 7th October 2008 proposed that Adv. Amit Desai beengaged at a fee of Rs 1, 25, 000 per hearing to appear for the Statebefore the High Court in the confirmation of death sentence case ofMr. Ryan Fernandes the main accused in the 2005 Vasco based Dr.Shrikant Verenkar murder case.
Adv. Amit Desai was also allowed executive class airfare from Mumbaiand stay at a five star hotel in Panaji. The Goa government alsoappointed a Panaji lawyer Mr. Ashwin Bhobe to assist Adv. Amit Desaiwith an appearance charge of Rs 5000 per hearing. Interestingly thefile notings show that on 11th July 2007 Advocate General SubodhKantak himself had agreed that Public Prosecutor Mrs. T. S. Sardinhashould represent the State in the case. The file notings also showthat then High Court Public Prosecutor Mrs. Winnie Coutinho had alsodeclined to appear in the matter as the accused Mr. Ryan Fernandes wasknown to her.
The information furnished to Adv. Aires Rodrigues further reveals thatthe Goa Government has spent a whopping Rs 11, 29, 266 on Adv. AmitDesai. Of the total expenditure incurred Rs 10 lakhs was towards Adv.Amit Desai’s court appearance charges while Rs 74,636 towards hishotel accommodation and Rs 54, 630 towards airfare expenses. Theexpenditure of Rs 11, 29, 266 incurred is from October 2008 toFebruary 2009 as the subsequent bills to date from Adv. Amit Desai arestill being processed.
The documents furnished by the Goa Police also show that Adv. AmitDesai held a two and half hour conference at Mumbai on 22nd November2008 which was attended by Public Prosecutor Mrs. T.S. Sardinha, Adv.Ashwin Bhobe and Deputy Superintendent of Police Mr. Mahesh Gaonkarwho was the Investigating Officer of the case. Adv. Amit Desai thensent the Goa Government a bill of Rs 62,500 for that Mumbai Conferenceat the rate of Rs 25,000 per hour. The government however declined topay that bill stating that he was not entitled to bill for theconference held.
It is however not known as to why Advocate General Mr. Subodh Kantakhad not himself appeared for the State in the confirmation case. It isalso not known as to why the State Government agreed to engage alawyer from Mumbai incurring such heavy expenditure though there areso many lawyers practicing criminal law in Goa. The records also donot show that the Government had made any efforts to engage theservices of any lawyer locally. A perusal of the orders recording theproceedings of the case show that Adv. Amit Desai had on least threeoccasions traveled all the way from Mumbai only to seek an adjournmentof the case while burdening the State exchequer by another Rs 1,25,000plus travel and accommodation for each of his trips.
Records of the case also reveal that since the confirmation case wasfiled in 2007 there have been already 28 hearings with the 29th onescheduled on 10th October 2011. Ironically the records reveal thatAdv. Amit Desai on 25th July this year submitted before the High Courtthat the Government was not pressing for the confirmation of the deathsentence. It is wondered as to why Adv. Ashwin Bhobe the localadvocate could not have informed this to the court instead of havingAdv. Amit Desai to come from Mumbai only to make this submission.Interestingly the Law department and the Home department have nowhowever informed Adv. Aires Rodrigues that the Goa Government has nottaken a decision not to press for the death sentence.
It may be recalled that South Goa Sessions Judge on June 15, 2007 hadawarded the death penalty to Ryan Fernandes, the main accused, andsentenced three other co-accused Mr. Francis D'Sa, Mr. Rajendra Singhand Mr. Sachin Parab to life imprisonment in the sensational murdercase of Dr Shrikant Verekar. The 55-year-old doctor from Vasco wasmurdered on Monday 17th Jan 2005 after being abducted. The body of theslain doctor was found seven hours later at Cansaulim.
A death penalty awarded cannot be executed unless it is confirmed bythe High Court. The confirmation of the death sentence seems to betaking longer than the investigation and trial of the case itself. Theconfirmation case from 2007 has been adjourned time and again inspiteof the court repeatedly making it very clear that no furtheradjournments would be granted.
Interestingly the confirmation case is pending since 2007 despite theSupreme Court ruling that the confirmation cases have to be heard anddisposed very expeditiously. This is the only confirmation casepending before the Bombay High Court at Goa. The last time aconfirmation case was filed before the Bombay High Court at Goa was in2005 against Soiru Gaonkar of Cuncolim which was disposed within ayear in 2006.
Meanwhile, Adv. Aires Rodrigues has today demanded a Vigilance probeinto all the bills submitted by Adv. Amit Desai and Advocate GeneralSubodh Kantak’s questionable role in the whole case.
Aires Rodrigues,
Ribandar, Goa.
The Goa Government was billed Rupees five lakhs by a Senior Advocatefrom Mumbai Mr. Amit Desai for four hearings in the High Court henever attended. This has been revealed in the information furnished bythe Goa Police to Adv. Aires Rodrigues under the Right to InformationAct.
Senior Advocate Amit Desai billed the Goa Government Rs 3, 75,000 forappearing before the Bombay High Court at Goa on 26th, 27th and 28thNovember 2008 but the Court records do not show his appearance. Healso billed the Government for another Rs 1, 25,000 for an appearanceon 13th Jan 2009 while the records show that there was no hearing ofthe case on that day. Interestingly the Goa Government paid Adv. AmitDesai the amount without requiring him to produce an appearancecertificate issued by the High Court as is mandatory before anygovernment advocate is paid.
Documents also obtained by Adv. Aires Rodrigues under the RTI Act fromthe Home Department reveals that Advocate General of Goa Subodh Kantakhad by a note on 7th October 2008 proposed that Adv. Amit Desai beengaged at a fee of Rs 1, 25, 000 per hearing to appear for the Statebefore the High Court in the confirmation of death sentence case ofMr. Ryan Fernandes the main accused in the 2005 Vasco based Dr.Shrikant Verenkar murder case.
Adv. Amit Desai was also allowed executive class airfare from Mumbaiand stay at a five star hotel in Panaji. The Goa government alsoappointed a Panaji lawyer Mr. Ashwin Bhobe to assist Adv. Amit Desaiwith an appearance charge of Rs 5000 per hearing. Interestingly thefile notings show that on 11th July 2007 Advocate General SubodhKantak himself had agreed that Public Prosecutor Mrs. T. S. Sardinhashould represent the State in the case. The file notings also showthat then High Court Public Prosecutor Mrs. Winnie Coutinho had alsodeclined to appear in the matter as the accused Mr. Ryan Fernandes wasknown to her.
The information furnished to Adv. Aires Rodrigues further reveals thatthe Goa Government has spent a whopping Rs 11, 29, 266 on Adv. AmitDesai. Of the total expenditure incurred Rs 10 lakhs was towards Adv.Amit Desai’s court appearance charges while Rs 74,636 towards hishotel accommodation and Rs 54, 630 towards airfare expenses. Theexpenditure of Rs 11, 29, 266 incurred is from October 2008 toFebruary 2009 as the subsequent bills to date from Adv. Amit Desai arestill being processed.
The documents furnished by the Goa Police also show that Adv. AmitDesai held a two and half hour conference at Mumbai on 22nd November2008 which was attended by Public Prosecutor Mrs. T.S. Sardinha, Adv.Ashwin Bhobe and Deputy Superintendent of Police Mr. Mahesh Gaonkarwho was the Investigating Officer of the case. Adv. Amit Desai thensent the Goa Government a bill of Rs 62,500 for that Mumbai Conferenceat the rate of Rs 25,000 per hour. The government however declined topay that bill stating that he was not entitled to bill for theconference held.
It is however not known as to why Advocate General Mr. Subodh Kantakhad not himself appeared for the State in the confirmation case. It isalso not known as to why the State Government agreed to engage alawyer from Mumbai incurring such heavy expenditure though there areso many lawyers practicing criminal law in Goa. The records also donot show that the Government had made any efforts to engage theservices of any lawyer locally. A perusal of the orders recording theproceedings of the case show that Adv. Amit Desai had on least threeoccasions traveled all the way from Mumbai only to seek an adjournmentof the case while burdening the State exchequer by another Rs 1,25,000plus travel and accommodation for each of his trips.
Records of the case also reveal that since the confirmation case wasfiled in 2007 there have been already 28 hearings with the 29th onescheduled on 10th October 2011. Ironically the records reveal thatAdv. Amit Desai on 25th July this year submitted before the High Courtthat the Government was not pressing for the confirmation of the deathsentence. It is wondered as to why Adv. Ashwin Bhobe the localadvocate could not have informed this to the court instead of havingAdv. Amit Desai to come from Mumbai only to make this submission.Interestingly the Law department and the Home department have nowhowever informed Adv. Aires Rodrigues that the Goa Government has nottaken a decision not to press for the death sentence.
It may be recalled that South Goa Sessions Judge on June 15, 2007 hadawarded the death penalty to Ryan Fernandes, the main accused, andsentenced three other co-accused Mr. Francis D'Sa, Mr. Rajendra Singhand Mr. Sachin Parab to life imprisonment in the sensational murdercase of Dr Shrikant Verekar. The 55-year-old doctor from Vasco wasmurdered on Monday 17th Jan 2005 after being abducted. The body of theslain doctor was found seven hours later at Cansaulim.
A death penalty awarded cannot be executed unless it is confirmed bythe High Court. The confirmation of the death sentence seems to betaking longer than the investigation and trial of the case itself. Theconfirmation case from 2007 has been adjourned time and again inspiteof the court repeatedly making it very clear that no furtheradjournments would be granted.
Interestingly the confirmation case is pending since 2007 despite theSupreme Court ruling that the confirmation cases have to be heard anddisposed very expeditiously. This is the only confirmation casepending before the Bombay High Court at Goa. The last time aconfirmation case was filed before the Bombay High Court at Goa was in2005 against Soiru Gaonkar of Cuncolim which was disposed within ayear in 2006.
Meanwhile, Adv. Aires Rodrigues has today demanded a Vigilance probeinto all the bills submitted by Adv. Amit Desai and Advocate GeneralSubodh Kantak’s questionable role in the whole case.
Aires Rodrigues,
Ribandar, Goa.
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