Bombay High Court adjourns Panaji protest case over missing medical reports

The Bombay High Court deferred hearing on seven activists detained after a Panaji protest. The case now hinges on pending GMCH medical reports and competing police claims.

In Short

• Seven activists were detained after the Cockroach Janta Party protest in Panaji
• The high court had earlier ordered their release and medical examinations
• Six underwent checks at GMCH but reports were still unavailable Monday

The Bombay High Court on Monday adjourned till next week the matter related to seven people detained in connection with the Cockroach Janta Party protest in Panaji, after medical reports from a state-run hospital were not submitted before the court.

The seven — Afreen Shaikh, Jack Sukhija, Bupesh Bhind, Aditya Parulekar, Listan Noronha, Shamino Fernandes and Milind Rane — were detained on Sunday and released later on the orders of the Goa bench of the high court. The court had fixed the hearing for Monday and had asked the detained activists to undergo medical examination at Goa Medical College and Hospital.

At the hearing on Monday, the division bench of Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit Jamsandekar was informed that six of the seven activists had undergone medical examination at GMCH, but the hospital had not yet submitted their reports, advocate Norma Alvares, appearing for the activists, told reporters.

Alvares said the court was served with copies of affidavits filed by the inspectors of Panaji and Pernem police stations, as well as an affidavit filed by the executive magistrate of Tiswadi. She said the affidavits contained a long history of past events linked to the CJP. The high court has asked Advocate General Devidas Pangam to expedite the matter and obtain the medical reports from GMCH before next Monday, she said.

According to the police affidavits, the force was anticipating problems at Azad Maidan and therefore detained the activists. The affidavits stated that six of those detained were taken to Pernem police station and one to Panaji police station. Police told the court the activists were asked whether they needed treatment for their injuries, and claimed one of them was injured in a fall while running towards the platform at Azad Maidan, where the protest was being held. The police also said the activists refused to be taken for medical treatment, which was later given after a 108 ambulance was called. The affidavits added that the activists were detained till 7 pm, after which the police were informed that petitions had been filed in the high court.

The matter will now come up next week, after the high court sought the pending medical reports from GMCH in the case of the seven activists detained after the protest.

- Ends