Goa Lokayukta orders FIR against Madkaikar in assets case

The Goa Lokayukta on Thursday ordered the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) of state police to register a First Information Report (FIR) against former Power Minister Pandurang Madkaikar for alleged disproportionate assets.

Madkaikar, a BJP leader, represents Cumbharjua constituency in the Goa Assembly.

Lokayukta Justice (Retd) P K Misra ordered the state Chief Secretary and ACB to file FIR against Madkaikar for allegedly owning assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Activist Aires Rodrigues had filed a petition before Lokayukta in June 2018, after the ACB did not file FIR against Madkaikar over his complaint.

In the order issued on Thursday, the Lokayukta said that the allegations definitely indicated commission of a cognizable offence.

"This institution has not expressed any opinion on merit as to whether infact Madkaikar has assets beyond his known sources of income. Such a matter has to be carefully investigated by an appropriate agency," the order said.

The order further said that "there is no doubt that Madkaikar belongs to the ruling party and the ACB may become sluggish in its investigation.

"If the complainant feels that the investigation is not being done properly, it would be open to the complainant at that stage to seek for a reference to the CBI by making an appropriate application before the appropriate authority," it added.