Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Petitioner Kashinath Shetye has opposed the proposed closure of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing illegal matka gambling in Goa, contending before the Bombay High Court at Goa that the investigation has failed to address the principal issues raised in the public interest litigation.
In objections filed before the court, Shetye argued that the large number of gambling cases registered and arrests made over the years demonstrates that illegal matka gambling continues to operate across the state and that the menace has not been eradicated.
He claimed that the investigation focused primarily on street level operators, agents and bookmakers while failing to identify the financiers, coordinators and beneficiaries of the gambling network. According to the petitioner, the central issue in the PIL was not merely the existence of gambling activities but the alleged nexus between gambling operators, police personnel and influential individuals who facilitate and protect such operations.
Shetye submitted that illegal matka gambling continues openly in various parts of Goa despite years of enforcement action and the constitution of the SIT. He argued that the persistence of the activity indicates a failure to dismantle the larger organised network allegedly responsible for sustaining the trade.
Questioning the credibility of the probe, the petitioner contended that allegations involving police personnel were investigated by agencies belonging to the same police establishment, raising concerns about fairness and institutional bias.
He further alleged that investigators failed to undertake a meaningful financial probe into the proceeds generated from illegal gambling. The objections state that there was no comprehensive examination of bank accounts, assets, suspicious transactions, benami holdings or possible illegal gratification allegedly received in connection with gambling operations.
The petitioner also claimed that no serious effort was made to investigate whether gambling proceeds were routed through hawala channels or other clandestine financial mechanisms.
Arguing that closure of the SIT would defeat the purpose of the PIL, Shetye submitted that the issue concerns not only illegal gambling but also public confidence in law enforcement institutions and the rule of law. He urged the court to reject the closure request and order a further independent investigation.
Shetye has sought the constitution of an independent high level committee headed by a retired High Court judge to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the continuing operation of illegal matka gambling in Goa and identify those allegedly facilitating, financing and protecting the activity.
In the alternative, he has requested that the investigation be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation or another independent agency, maintaining that only an agency unconnected with the state police can conduct a fair and impartial probe into allegations of protection money collections and the alleged nexus between gambling operators and public officials.
The matter arises from a public interest litigation concerning illegal matka gambling that has been pending before the Bombay High Court at Goa since 2015.
