The Bombay High Court on Friday took suo moto action in the alleged rape of a 14-year-old German girl by the son of Goa education minister.
The court issued a show cause notice to the Goa government to explain why the case should not be handed over to a specialised investigating agency.
As reported by newspapers and TV news channels, 21-year-old Rohit Monseratte, son of Anastasio Monseratte, has been charged with various offences, including rape, abatement to crime and outraging the modesty of the teenaged German national.
However, he is yet to be arrested.
The mother of the alleged victim had filed a police complaint on October 3.
Chief justice Swatanter Kumar and justice SA Bobade said in their order, “This is not the question of the suffering of an individual but has an effect on the society as a whole.”
The court also said, “If reports of the newspapers are correct even to some extent, then they demonstrate the apathy of the police machinery towards the rule of law.”
The judges noted that the registrar of the Goa bench of the court had confirmed that no arrests were made in the case. “It is not only obligatory but mandatory for the investigating agency to effectively and expeditiously progress with the investigation of a case once the FIR is registered,” the judges said. They further said, “Not only law but even public interest demands that courts should ensure free, fair and independent investigation of alleged offences.”
The court has asked the investigating police officers to provide details of the probe and to explain why the suspects or the accused have not been apprehended.
j_mayura@dnaindia.net
