Accused in accident case, AAP Goa chief’s bail cancelled for travelling abroad without permission
- In Reports
- 09:25 PM, Aug 27, 2024
- Myind Staff
A sessions court in Ponda, Goa, has revoked the bail granted to Amit Palekar, the state president of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in an accident case. The court's decision was based on observations that Palekar had breached his bail conditions by travelling to foreign countries without obtaining prior permission from the court.
After the Court of Additional Sessions Judge Panaji (sitting at Ponda) cancelled Amit Palekar’s bail, police sources reported that a crime branch team visited his residence on the evening of August 26. However, he was not present, and his phone was switched off, according to a police officer.
Superintendent of Police Rahul Gupta, head of Goa’s crime branch, stated, “Now that the bail has been cancelled by the Honourable court, we will proceed with efforts to arrest him.”
On August 6, 2023, at 7:30 p.m., a Mercedes driven by Shripad alias Paresh Sawardekar, who was under the influence of alcohol, collided with multiple vehicles at Banastari Bridge, over 15 km from Panaji. The accident resulted in three fatalities and left three others with severe injuries. According to the police investigation, Paresh and Amit Palekar, among others, gathered at a house in Ponda after the crash and devised a plan to place an imposter as the driver of the car during the accident.
Palekar was arrested on August 31, 2023, for his role in conspiring to plant a "dummy driver," harbouring the accused driver to evade arrest, misleading the investigation, and tampering with evidence. He was granted bail on September 4, 2023, with the condition that he would not leave India without court permission.
On August 16, the Goa police's crime branch filed an application with the court to cancel the conditional bail granted to Amit Palekar. They alleged that Palekar had violated the bail condition by travelling abroad without obtaining the court’s prior permission.
Police said that Palekar had filed an application before the court requesting permission to travel to France from November 10, 2023 to November 25, 2023, which was granted by the court through an order dated November 8, 2023. Police said besides a trip to France, Palekar subsequently travelled abroad on four occasions – Thailand (Bangkok) from January 25 to January 29; UAE (Dubai) from March 7 to March 11; Thailand (Bangkok) from April 18 to April 22, and Hongkong from May 18 to May 29 – without the court’s permission.
The prosecution contended that, according to the court’s order on November 8, 2023, Amit Palekar was authorised to travel only to France. This permission was based on details he provided about his departure, arrival, and the documentation proving that his family holiday had been booked before he became an accused in the case. The prosecution argued that this order did not constitute a general authorisation to travel to any country without specifying departure and arrival details.
Palekar's counsel countered that the court's order did not explicitly limit travel to France and argued that the permission granted was for international travel in general. They claimed that the bail cancellation application was "politically motivated," pointing out Palekar's role as the AAP president in Goa and his outspoken criticism of the government.
The court responded by stating that the "ambiguous prayer" in the application was a clever attempt to bypass the bail condition. It clarified that the application’s content indicated that the permission was specifically for travel to France. The court emphasised that if Palekar had sought a general authorisation to leave India without providing details about his departure, arrival, or the purpose of his visit, the court would likely have rejected such a request.
The court further noted that the respondent (Amit Palekar) had focused heavily on the terminology and the phrasing of the application, rather than on the substantive content of the application itself.
Image source: Herald Goa
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