In a relief to former Goa chief minister and Congress leader Digambar Kamat, a local court on Wednesday granted him anticipatory bail in the Louis Berger bribery case even as Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said he will not come in the way if police sought his permission to appeal against the order in higher court.
Kamat, who had earlier given interim protection from arrest, was granted anticipatory bail by District Judge B P Deshpande, who asked the 61-year-old politician to furnish a surety of Rs 1 lakh. The court also asked him not to tamper with evidence and cooperate with the Crime Branch probing the case as and when summoned.
When reporters asked Parsekar whether the government would challenge the district court’s decision in High Court, he said, “If Crime Branch feels that it is a genuine case then they are free to do that (approach the HC for cancellation of anticipatory bail).”
“I will not force them to appeal in the higher court. I will give a go ahead if they approach me asking for the permission,” he said
“It is for the Crime Branch to decide on the future of the case. I have never interfered in their investigation,” Parsekar told reporters on the sidelines of a function organised by Photo Journalists Association of Goa.
The Crime Branch is investigating the case of alleged payment of bribe by officials of Louis Berger, a US-based firm, to an Indian Minister to win consultancy for a water augmentation and sewerage project funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Goa.