log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Instagram.com/thegoanonline Pg 15 SATURDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2025 page 7 Goan healthcare staff at Swindon offer aid to Clergy Homes in Goa Goan community mourns demise of former G.O.A UK chairman IN SHORT >> COURT CLEARS DIGAMBAR IN MINING CASE PANAJI: In a major relief for BJP MLA and former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, the Principal District and Sessions Court has discharged him in an illegal mining case. The case, investigated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT-Mining), pertained to the condonation of delay in the renewal of mining leases during Kamat’s tenure as CM from 2007 to 2012. Sixteen other accused in the case have also been discharged. Waste monitoring to go the digital way PANAJI: The Goa State Pollution Control Board has invited bids for developing a Digital Waste Monitoring Platform to streamline the entire process of waste management -- from generation, collection, transportation, storage and disposal -- in the State.  >> See pg 3 Suleman trying to deter witnesses: Cops PANAJI: Police have accused notorious criminal Suleman Khan of making unverified allegations to dissuade witnesses from testifying against him, either during investigation or in court. His phone has also been sent for forensic analysis. >> See pg 3 2 telecom firms fined over cables on poles PANAJI: Electricity Department has issues show cause notices to several internet and cable service provider companies and levied hefty fine on 2 of them for using electricity poles for pulling their cables.  >> See pg 3 WEATHER >> Max: 34.2 C Min: 22.2 C Humidity: 88% TIDES Low: High: 06:43 18:31 00:36 12:34 15 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 238 Goa’s Finally, conviction in rape and SC upholdsreclaim decision to murder of foreigner Danielle power tariff rebates SESSIONS COURT TO PRONOUNCE SENTENCE ON MONDAY THE GOAN I NETWORK MARGAO The South Goa Sessions Court on Friday convicted and held guilty 32-year old accused Vikat Bhagat in the sensational rape and murder of British/ Irish woman Danielle Marie Theresa McLaughlin that took place at Canacona in 2017. Curtains finally came down on the seven-year long trial of the sensational case on Friday when Additional South Goa Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi, pronounced her order, when the Judge held accused Vikat Bhagat guilty for rape, murder and destruction of evidence. The point of sentence will be pronounced by the Court on Monday. The Canacona police had charged accused Vikat Bhagat under section 302, 376, 394 Accused Vikat Bhagat being escorted to the Colvale jail.  Santosh Mirajkar and 201 of IPC for murder, rape, robbery and destruction of evidence respectively in the case. While Judge Joshi has held guilty and convicted the accused for rape, murder and destruction of evidence, he has been acquitted for the offence of robbery. The rape and murder of the British/Irish national had tak- en place on the intervening night of March 13-14, 2017. The police had charged that accused Vikat Bhagat, grabbing advantage of his friendship with deceased Danielle, took her in an open isolated field at Adpe-Devabag, Canacona and while committing forceful sexual intercourse/rape, assaulted her with glass bottle Bills of mid-day meals pending for 6 months Self-Help Groups in limbo as Education Dept awaits `  7 crore Central share THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI With the available mid-day meal funds being exhausted, close to 98 self-help groups (SHGs) are yet to receive their payment of last six months. The Education Department is awaiting a Rs 7 crore installment from the Centre to partially clear pending payments to SHGs, which have been due since August last year. There are 98 SHGs and nine Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) currently supplying meals  to over 1.60 lakh students across Goa. According to some SHGs, who approached The Goan, their bills are not cleared since August and the Department has assured to clear the same once the required funds are available. When contacted, Director Education Shailesh Zingade HARD TO DIGEST „„98 SHGs and 9 PTAs currently supply meals to over 1.60 lakh students across Goa „„Bills are not cleared since August „„Dept has assured to clear payments once required funds are available „„Mid-day meal expenses for 1,400 schools across the State expected to reach Rs 38.27 cr for current academic year „„Of this, Rs 18.78 cr will be borne by Centre, while the rest will be contributed by the State admitted that the payments are due since August and would be cleared shortly. Highly placed sources confirmed that the State is awaiting Rs 7 crore, the fourth installment for mid-day meal from the Centre. “The State will add its share but the amount won’t be sufficient to clear the six months backlog. The Department may be in position to pay off part payment that is for two-three months,” sources said adding the pending dues are around Rs 13-odd crores. “The Department used the first three installments to clear the arrears and bills for June-July of the current academic year,” sources said. Mid-day meal expenses for approximately 1,400 schools >Continued on P5 on her head and face. He murdered her by compressing her neck and robbed her mobile phone and also destroyed the evidence. The prosecution examined 46 witnesses. Trial in the case had commenced in April 2018 when the first witness was examined. The intervening Covid-19 pandemic had impacted the trial of the case for a year. Though there was no direct evidence in the case, the prosecution managed to link the chain of circumstantial evidence against the accused. Retired Superintending of Police, Sammy Tavares, who was heading the Quepem Police Sub-division as DySP, said the Canacona police headed by then investigation officers, PI Filomena Costa and Rajendra Prabhudesai had prepared a strong case against Anjuna eviction: Three arrested; Crime Branch takes over probe THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA Nearly five days after Rajesh Sinary and his family were forcibly evicted from their home by unidentified individuals, the Anjuna Police have arrested three persons, all who were employed as security guards. However, the prime accused, Janardhan Korathe, remains at large. The arrested individuals have been identified as Rakesh Nandkishor Raha (36) of Sanquelim and a native of UP, Parshuram Shankar Gawas (42) from Nadora and Vicky Naik (20) of Old Goa. All three were working as security guards at the time of the incident. According to police, the trio has been charged with trespass, theft and criminal intimidation. Meanwhile, the investigation has been transferred to Crime Branch. In his complaint, Sinary alleged that a group of individuals he referred to as ‘goons’ forcibly removed his family from their residence. India, US chart $500 billion trade roadmap by 2030 PTI WASHINGTON ndia and the US have resolved to more than double the two-way trade to USD 500 billion by 2030 and announced plans for a bilateral trade agreement with a view to bringing down duties and increase market access. According to the joint statement issued after the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump here, the two leaders have also pledged the bilateral trade relationship to promote growth that ensures fairness, national security and job creation. “To this end, the leaders set a bold new goal for bilateral trade Mission 500 aiming to more than double total bilat- Royal Challengers Bengaluru complete WPL’s biggest chase RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Two Goans among 119 deported I WASHINGTON: A US plane carrying 119 illegal immigrants is likely to land at Amritsar airport on February 15, the second such batch of Indians deported by the Trump government. Among the 119 illegal Indian immigrants, 67 hail from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, eight from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Goa, Maharashtra and Rajasthan and one each from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday. eral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030. Recognizing that this level of ambition would require new, fair-trade terms, the leaders announced plans to negotiate the first tranche of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by fall of 2025,” it said. The statement further said that both sides committed to designate senior representatives to advance these negotiations and to ensure that the trade relationship fully reflects the aspirations of the COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce and Technology). “To advance this innovative, wide-ranging BTA, the US and India will take an integrated approach to strengthen and deepen bilateral trade across the goods and services sector, and will work towards increasing market access, reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers, and deepening supply chain integration,” it added. Normally in a free trade agreement, two trading partners either eliminate or significantly reduce customs duties on maximum number of goods traded between them. Besides, they also ease norms to promote trade in services and boost investments. ON PAGE 2 Justice for Danielle: Court conviction ends eightyear long wait for family Public prosecutors seek maximum punishment Several prosecutors, judges involved in 7-yr-old trial ‘Sources’ helped police in cracking the case: Ex-SDPO the accused by stressing on the “last seen” theory. “We had managed to collect evidence that the accused was seen with the victim at Canacona before her rape and murder”, Tavares said. Says notices legal & justified AGENCIES NEW DELHI The Supreme Court has affirmed the Goa government’s decision to reclaim electricity tariff rebates previously granted to industrial companies, reinforcing the State’s right to withdraw economic incentives in the public interest. The Court ruled that the doctrine of promissory estoppel cannot be rigidly enforced when financial burdens on public exchequer are at stake. Specifically, if rebates or incentives place an undue burden on the public exchequer or State finances, the doctrine may not be applicable, it said. Citing past rulings, the Court dismissed the appeal, affirming that Goa’s demand notices were legal and justified. The verdict supports the Bombay High Court’s decision and strengthens the govern- ment’s power to revoke incentives that strain state finances. The Court observed, “we have no doubt in our minds that the High Court was right in holding that the appellant-companies before it are not entitled to the rebate and the impugned demand notices do not suffer from any vice including that of illegality.” A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sandeep Mehta heard the case where the Appellants were aggrieved by the demand notice sent by the Goa Government to recover previously offered electricity tariff rebates under its 1991 Notification, which provided a 25% rebate on electricity tariffs for industrial units. Several companies including Puja Ferro Alloys Pvt. Ltd, Global Ispat Pvt Ltd, Sunrise Electromelt Ltd, Karthik Inductions Ltd had moved the courts in this regards. Pope hospitalised with bronchitis VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis was hospitalised Friday to treat a weeklong bout of bronchitis and undergo diagnostic tests, the Vatican said, confirming the latest issues with the 88-year-old’s health that forced him to cancel his agenda through Monday at least. Francis was diagnosed with bronchitis on February 6, but had continued to hold daily audiences in his Vatican hotel suite. He attended his general audience Wednesday and presided at an outdoor Mass on Sunday. But he had handed off his speeches for an aide to read aloud, saying he was having trouble breathing. On Friday, he appeared bloated and pale during the audiences he held. The bloating appeared to indicate that medication he was taking to treat lung infection was making him retain water.