Panaji: A North Goa court acquitted Lourenco Palha (Hadpoi) of Agasaim of charges of assault and causing grievous injuries to A Parvatkar, an electricity department lineman, following a power failure in 2018.The court noted contradictions in witness testimonies, with one version claiming Parvatkar was assaulted with a koita and another stating he was injured after falling from a metal sheet.
The court said contradictions in evidence weakened the case, adding that prosecutors could not be faulted when witnesses themselves failed to support the prosecution story. The complainant could not be examined as he died during the pendency of the trial.The court further noted that police failed to obtain the muster roll to establish that the complainant was a public servant discharging official duty at the time. The scene-of-offence pancha witness did not state anything incriminating against the accused and instead undermined the case by testifying that the sketch was prepared prior to the panchanama and that the panchanama began before they reached the spot. The witness also claimed that a junior engineer forced him to act as a pancha witness by threatening disciplinary action.Another witness, a bar and restaurant owner, turned hostile, stating he only saw the lineman with a bleeding hand. The court held it unreliable.
