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The complaint of professional misconduct filed by Advocate Aires Rodrigues against the Advocate General of Goa, Subodh Kantak, will be heard by a full house of the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa at Mumbai on October 23. The Bar Council has asked Advocate General Mr Kantak and Adv Rodrigues to remain present for the hearing of the case before the 27-member committee which comprises the full house of the Bar Council. Mr Kantak, by virtue of being the Advocate General of Goa, is an ex-officio member of the Bar Council. When a complaint is filed against any of its members, the same is always heard by a full house. Adv Rodrigues in his complaint had drawn the attention of the Bar Council to a note moved by Mr Kantak on July 15, 2005, seeking to terminate the services of Special Public Prosecutors Mr A P Cardozo and Mr V P Thali who were handling the prosecution of criminal cases against former Ministers -- Dayanand Narvekar, Mauvin Godinho and Somnath Zuwarkar. Prior to his becoming Advocate General, Mr Kantak was defending these former Ministers in the various corruption-related cases. Adv Rodrigues has in his complaint stated that since Mr Kantak had appeared for Mr Narvekar, Mr Godinho and Mr Zuwarkar before becoming Advocate General he could not have moved such a note to benefit his former minister clients. Adv Rodrigues has stated that the government records obtained by him under the Right to Information Act has revealed that Mr Kantak as Advocate General had made recommendations for change of special public prosecutors in criminal cases in which he had appeared earlier for the accused former ministers. Adv Rodrigues has in his complaint stated that when this action of the government in changing the special Public Prosecutors was challenged in the High Court, Mr Kantak after his initial appearance for the state subsequently did not appear but continued to manipulate, monitor and co-coordinate every move in the petition before the High Court by even assisting in the drafting of affidavits. Adv Rodrigues has stated that Mr Kantak had also by a note dated July six, 2006, proposed that the State of Goa engage the services of senior counsel from Mumbai Aspi Chinoy with fees of Rs 1,35,000 per appearance, along with Adv Nitin Sardesai and Mr Mahesh Sonak with fees of Rs 5,000 per appearance to defend his former minister clients in the high court. Adv Rodrigues also stated that Mr Kantak held a closed door meeting with MrChinoy on July three to discuss the strategy of the government in the case against his former minister clients. Adv Rodrigues has sent to the Bar Council the notings of the files, he added. |
| SOURCE: UNI |
