Court admits CBI plea challenging verdict

| NOVEMBER 18, 2017, 03:42 AM IST


ASHWINI KAMAT
PANAJI
High Court of Bombay at Goa on Friday admitted the appeal filed by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging the acquittal verdict of Goa Children's Court in the much-sensationalised Scarlett Keeling case of 2008.
On September 23, 2016, eight-and-half years after the death of British teenager Scarlett Eden Keeling at Anjuna Beach, Children's Court in its 107-page judgment had acquitted the two accused Samson D'Souza and Placido Carvalho. Over 30 witnesses were examined during the course of the trial which was heard over a period of six years by five different judges.
Goa Children's Court had made a very rare observation of the influence wielded by victim's relatives, their legal counsel and the media on the probe into a high-profile homicide case. "The entire process of investigation wasseen monitored by the mother of the victim and her advocate at every stage, thereby creating serious doubt about the impartiality of the investigation," states the judgment.
Immediately after the verdict was pronounced, Fiona Mackeown, Scarlett's mother had expressed utter shock and had alleged that the "CBI is either incompetent or corrupt". Thereafter, she had written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking fresh investigation into the case.
Acquitted Samson D'Souza and Placido Carvalho had said that "there was nothing in the case" and that they were being framed. On February 18, 2008, young British national Scarlett's body was found in semi-nude condition at Gokulwado, Anjuna beach, a few metres away from Luis shack, where she was seen last.
The final medical opinion was that Scarlett's death was "due to drowning in the beach sand waters in the person intoxicated with alcohol and hypnotic drugs (cocaine and morphine) and having injuries on her body including a bruise on left lower labial sulcus at muco-gingival aspect".
Central Bureau of Investigation took over the case in August 2008 and on October 21, 2009, upon completion of its investigation, filed a chargesheet against against Samson D'Souza and Placido Carvalho under IPC Sections 304 (II) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 354 (assault or use of criminal force to a woman with an intent to outrage her modesty), 328 (administrating stupefying drug with an intent to cause hurt) and Section 109 (abetment) of IPC.

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