Goa court finds police's opposition to NCP youth wing member Sonia Doohan’s bail 'vague'

While granting bail to NCP youth wing member Sonia Doohan, the Magistrate court at Panaji observed that the bail application was being opposed on vague grounds.

While granting bail to NCP youth wing member Sonia Doohan, the Magistrate court at Panaji observed that the bail application was being opposed on vague grounds such as the accused has political background and she may threaten the witnesses and abscond.

The court had granted bail to Doohan on July 3 and in the order of Shahir S. Issani, Judicial Magistrate First Class, ‘C’ Court, Panaji observed that the Panaji police had stated that the address and the antecedents of Doohan are yet to be verified and her identity has to be established. “Such vague pleas cannot be the ground for rejecting the bail application,” said Magistrate Issani.

The magistrate further added that “considering that further custodial detention of Doohan is unnecessary and she has offered to furnish bail to the satisfaction of the Court and has also undertaken to abide by the conditions imposed by the Court, I allow the application.”

The court imposed conditions like asking Doohan to report to the investigating officer initially for a period of 4 days from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and thereafter as and when directed by the Officer until the final report is filed.

The court also said that Doohan shall not leave the State of Goa without giving prior intimation to the Investigating Officer.

Doohan was charged for offences punishable under sections 419 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). She allegedly checked into a resort in Goa with an accomplice by producing a fake identity proof and thereby committed the offence of cheating by impersonation.

Doohan had allegedly tried to get into the same resort where the MLAs from Shiv Sena who had revolted against former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray were staying in. Doohan had received much praise when a similar incident had happened in 2019 with the NCP. Some NCP leaders had claimed that they were kidnapped and taken to New Delhi. Doohan who hails from Haryana had managed to get back some of these NCP MLAs from the alleged clutches of BJP leaders.