Narvekar granted conditional bail

Sandesh Prabhudesai
6 June 2001  

Following footsteps of the high court order regarding anticipatory bail, the lower court today granted conditional bail to Dayanand Narvekar, former deputy chief minister and president of the Goa Cricket Association.

After arresting him on Monday, he was yesterday remanded to custody for one-day, pending final hearing of his bail application. The powerful politician is charged with masterminding the bogus ticket racket at the cricket ODI played in Goa on 6 April.

The sitting MLA now plans to file a contempt petition against the police for arresting him as well as against those who ordered his arrest, probably hinting at the BJP chief minister Manohar Parrikar.

While granting him bail, Margao JMFC Ashley Noronha imposed similar conditions, which were laid down on him by the high court on 26 April, while granting him anticipatory bail for one month.

The conditions would last for two months now or till the chargesheet is filed, whichever comes earlier. It includes debarring him from participating in any activity or financial transaction of the GCA, surrendering his passport, taking prior permission of the police before leaving Goa and making himself available for interrogation.

His counsel had argued in the court that though the high court had granted him bail only for one month, the findings of the upper court exist even today. The police were however pressing for his custodial interrogation while he was shifted to the city hospital yesterday, avoiding custody at the police station.

Speaking from the city hospital, Narvekar alleged that his arrest was a clear case of contempt since the Supreme Court had disposed of the petition filed by the police, without ordering against the high court order which had stated that he is not required for custodial interrogation.

"There is no question of contempt since the apex court had disposed of the petition without going into the merits of it, since the period of one month granted for the anticipatory bail was already over", quipped Karnal Singh, the DIG of Police.

The police are presently examining the possibility of challenging the lower court order while seeking further remand for Narvekar's custodial interrogation. They have stopped his interrogation since the time high court had granted him anticipatory bail.

Meanwhile, Vinod Phadke, the GCA secretary and Narvekar's close accomplice, is still evading the arrest. Both of them were together granted the interim bail last month, after which Narvekar was arrested on Monday.

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