Goemkarponn Desk
MARGAO: The South Goa Sessions Court has given permission for Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate and his wife, MLA Jennifer, to apply for a non-immigrant visa.
The couple is accused of carrying out an attack on the Panaji Police Station. The court states that there is no objection if the Regional Passport Office issues a certificate of no objection to the US Consulate General in Mumbai.
Sessions Judge Irshad Agha, however, stated that the two must provide a copy of their visa to the court in writing within 15 days of obtaining it for records. He claimed that approving the applications does not mean that the two can travel abroad without the court’s consent.
The application was submitted to the court by the Revenue Minister, who claimed that he was ill and needed to go to America to receive medical advice.
Jennifer, the wife, filed a separate application with the court claiming that she must travel to America with her husband and other family members for consultation.
The husband and wife team requested that the Regional Passport Office be given the proper instructions so that they could issue a No Objection Certificate to the US Consulate General in Mumbai, allowing them to process and grant non-immigrant visas.
However, the court ruled that since the Regional Passport Office is not a party to the proceedings, no instructions could be given to them and that a No Objection Certificate could be issued in their favor, allowing them to obtain a visa.
The judge stated that presenting this order to the regional passport office might be enough to proceed with the applicants’ request for a non-immigrant visa.
