Team Goemkarponn
MARGAO: Margao District & Sessions Court today has granted conditional anticipatory bail to Datta Naik who is accused of allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
Naik received a notification under Section 35(3) of BNSS 2023, and he and his legal counsel showed up at the police station. After recording his statement, the cops let him leave.
Naik has been the target of two complaints alleging that his remarks during the TV channel interview offended religious feelings.
The prosecution’s advocate, public prosecutor VG Costa, asserted that the accused must adhere to BNSS 2023’s 35(3). He made the point that while requesting anticipatory bail, arguments based on merit cannot be considered.
Senior counsel Cleofato Almeida Coutinho, speaking on behalf of Naik, informed the court that no crime had been proven. Even if the comment ascribed to Naik is accepted, he said, it may only be defamatory. Regardless, Naik has the right to his opinion, and what he stated during the interview was his own, according to Adv. Coutinho.
According to Senior Adv. Coutinho, the word “loot” was used accidentally. According to him, the petitioner will appear before the police and has consented to cooperate with them.
In the meantime, Canacona police argued against Naik’s request for anticipatory bail before the Sessions Court. In order to conduct a thorough and efficient investigation, gather further evidence for the case, and bring it to a logical conclusion, the police have requested his custody.
According to the police, there was a tense and law-and-order situation throughout the entire state as a result of the applicant’s or accused’s malicious deed.
The Canacona police added that if the applicant’s motion for anticipatory bail was approved, there was a good chance that the applicant would intimidate the witnesses and turn hostile, which would undermine the prosecution’s case and impede the investigation. The police have requested for the application for anticipatory bail to be denied.
