Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Public Prosecutor (PP) on Saturday opposed the bail plea of accused Zenito Cardozo in the Rama Kankonkar attempt-to-murder case, arguing that Zenito had held a grudge against Rama over a social media post and was conspiring against him.
During the hearing before the Special Court at Merces, Zenito’s counsel maintained that there was no enmity between the accused and Rama, asserting that Zenito had been falsely implicated in the case. “There is no hostility or prior dispute between Zenito Cardozo and Rama Kankonkar,” the defence told the court.
Countering this argument, the PP contended that while Rama may not have been aware of what was going on in Zenito’s mind, the accused had developed resentment toward Rama due to his social media activity. “Zenito was holding a grudge and conspiring against Rama,” the PP submitted, urging the court to deny bail.
The bail plea hearing of Zenito Cardozo, one of the accused in the attack on social activist Rama Kankonkar, saw sharp exchanges in the Special Court at Merces with the defence denying any link between Cardozo and the crime while the prosecution and complainant’s counsel accused him of tampering with crucial evidence.
Defence lawyer Advocate Michael Nazareth argued that the case against his client was baseless and driven by assumptions. He pointed out that Kankonkar, in his official statement to the Panaji police, had not named Cardozo as one of his attackers. “There is absolutely no mention of Zenito in Rama’s statement. Linking him to the incident is unjustified,” Nazareth submitted, adding that the defence had refrained from filing anticipatory bail as they were confident the truth would emerge from Kankonkar’s own account.
“If we wanted, we could have applied for anticipatory bail. We didn’t, because we knew Rama would speak the truth. He has not connected my client to the assault,” Nazareth told the court.
However, countering these claims, Advocate Shane Gomes — representing Kankonkar through an intervention petition — alleged that Cardozo had already interfered with digital evidence connected to the case. “If he was innocent, why did he delete his call records? His name has repeatedly surfaced during interrogation,” Gomes said.
He further argued that Cardozo had erased WhatsApp messages and call logs to obstruct the investigation. “He has tampered with evidence and may intimidate witnesses whose statements are yet to be recorded if granted bail,” Gomes added.
Supporting this stance, the Public Prosecutor maintained that Cardozo bore resentment towards Kankonkar over a social media post and was plotting against him. The PP asserted that even if Kankonkar himself did not suspect Cardozo, the motive and digital trail point toward deliberate involvement.
