PANAJI: Accusing the government of making scapegoats out of small time, low level officers in the job-for-cash scandal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has demanded a “judicial probe” by three judges including a retired high court judge to head it.
AAP Goa chief, Amit Palekar said, the death of one of the officials which appears to be suicide, indicates that the government is on a mission to close the lid on the scandal by looking for ‘scapegoats’ among lower rung officers and closing the probe at that level.
“This Pooja Naik and the lowly officers aren’t acting on their own. They are linked to the entire BJP cabinet,”. Palekar said.
“If not, why is the chief minister scared? He should order the judicial inquiry. From the suicide it appears that they (officials) are being made scapegoats,” he said.
Palekar, a noted criminal lawyer in Goa, said the inquiry commission should be headed by a retired High Court judge while the other two members can be retired Sessions Judges.
With the probe into the job-for-cash scandal entering the fourth week with multiple arrests made, one of the government officials the prime accused Pooja Naik has implicated, one Satarkar of Priol, was found dead on Saturday days after he went missing on being called by the police to join the probe.