Banastarim Accident Case: Goa AAP Chief Amit Palekar Moves Bombay HC

AAP Goa unit chief Amit Palekar on Tuesday challenged a local court’s order canceling his conditional bail in connection with a 2023 road accident case in the Bombay High Court’s Goa bench, even as the crime branch launched a search to trace him.

Amit Palekar’s conditional bail was revoked on Monday by Additional Sessions Judge Apurva Nagvekar.

The case stems from a road accident on August 6, 2023, in which three people were killed when a speeding Mercedes struck multiple vehicles on Banastarim Bridge near Panaji. The Crime Branch arrested Palekar for allegedly tampering with evidence and attempting to produce a decoy driver to shield the accused, Paresh Sawardekar, who was allegedly driving the car.

On August 27, Palekar, through his lawyer Nitin Sardesai, filed a petition in the high court seeking the revocation of the district court’s order. The high court has reserved the hearing on the application for Wednesday.

A police official stated that Palekar would need to surrender following the lower court’s order, and he would be taken into custody as directed by the court. Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch) Rahul Gupta confirmed that the police are actively searching for Palekar but did not provide details on whether they have any leads on his whereabouts.

The Crime Branch recently filed an application seeking the cancellation of Palekar’s bail, claiming that although the court granted him permission to travel to France, he visited other countries as well, thereby violating bail conditions.

In the order issued on Monday, the judge noted that the prosecution argued that Palekar was granted permission on November 8, 2023, solely to visit France. However, the prosecution contended that Palekar had traveled to countries such as Thailand, the UAE, and Hong Kong without obtaining prior court approval, violating the terms of his bail.

Advocate Sardesai acknowledged that his client had indeed traveled to the four countries mentioned in the application for bail cancellation. He argued that the move to cancel Palekar’s bail was politically motivated, as Palekar is the president of the Aam Aadmi Party in Goa and has been outspoken against the government and the state’s law and order situation.

Judge Nagvekar’s order on Monday stated, “The respondent has not explicitly sought permission to travel to various countries for professional or leisure purposes. By visiting foreign countries like Thailand, the UAE, and Hong Kong without prior court permission, the respondent has violated bail conditions.”