It is suprising that the Home Minister Mr. Ravi Naik and the Chief Secretary Mr. Sanjay Srivastava are unaware that the cost of repairs of the official police car crashed by former Inspector General of Police Mr.K.D.Singh‘s son was paid by the Goa Government.
The Government itself has officially informed me under the Right to Information Act that the 4th December 2009 car crash by the son of Goa’s former IGP, Mr. K.D.Singh while driving his father’s official Toyota Innova GA-07-G-0063 had cost the State exchequer Rs 4, 33, 200. The information furnished to me also disclosed that the Goa Government had given financial and administrative approval for the repair of that vehicle and had also decided not to recover the amount from either the former IGP or his son. Siddharth Singh, the IGP’s son was driving his father’s official vehicle along with his friends to a night club at Vasco when he crashed the vehicle while also damaging two electricity poles. While the damages of the vehicle were borne by the government, the former IGP’s son was also not being prosecuted for illegal driving and crashing a government vehicle. Director of Prosecution Mrs. Shobha Dhumaskar had in her legal opinion given on 22nd February this year opined that the IGP’s son should not be charge sheeted in the accident case. The Director of Prosecution in her opinion stated that despite the heavy damage to the vehicle, there was no evidence of rash and negligent driving and that it would be difficult to prove the case against the IGP’s son Sidharth Singh. While former IGP Mr.KD.Singh and his son who was unauthorizedly driving his father’s official vehicle are scot free, it is an irony that in another case a police driver is being penalized though involved in an accident in discharge of his official duties. Rs 1833 a month is being deducted from the salary of Police Driver Mr. Vinod Malvankar for an accident involving a Police van driven by him. Police constable Mr. Vinod Malvankar is being penalized despite the Additional Sessions Judge and a police departmental inquiry as well ruling that he was not driving rash or negligently. If this government had any respect for the rule of law it should have recoverd Rs 4, 33, 200 from former IGP Mr. K.D Singh and also prosecuted his son Sidharth Singh in the accident case in accordance with law. Director of Prosecution Mrs. Shobha Dhumaskar should be also asked to explain as to how she high handedly recommended that the accident case against the former IGP’s son be closed. Aires Rodrigues T1 - B30, Ribandar Retreat Ribandar - Goa - 403006 Mobile: 9822684372