The Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) headed by retired Justice U.V.Bakre and comprising of former District Judges Desmond D’Costa and Pramod Kamat has directed Pradosh Amoncar of Bicholim based Amoncar Classic Caterers who had catered for police personnel during the 2016 BRICS Summit to produce the receipts of the nine functions of dignitaries he had catered to. The direction came during the cross examination of Pradosh Amoncar by Adv. Aires Rodrigues who is the complainant in the matter.
In cross examination Mr. Amoncar admitted that in his petition filed before the High Court in 2020 he had claimed that he had catered for nine Goa dignitaries which includes 5000 guests at wedding reception of Rajendra Arlekar’s daughter, 5000 guests for Laxmikant Parsekar’s 60th Birthday, 6000 guests for wedding reception of Manohar Parrikar’s son, 5000 guests at wedding reception of Manohar Azgaonkar’s daughter, 5000 guests for Mahila Mandal meeting organised by Milind Naik, 5000 guests at Dilip Parulekar’s birthday, 2000 guests for the birthday of Dayanand Mandrekar, 3000 guests at Kiran Kandolkar’s birthday and 2000 guests at Anant Shet’s birthday celebration. The cross examination of Pradosh Amoncar will now continue on 10th November. GHRC last year had directed the caterer Pradosh Amoncar to file his Affidavit in evidence and face cross examination by Adv. Aires Rodrigues.
A Division Bench of the Bombay High Court at Goa comprising of Justice Mahesh Sonak and Justice Nutan Sardessai on 18th February 2020 directed the GHRC to rehear the 2016 BRICS Summit food scam case by giving a hearing to the Caterer Pradosh Amoncar who had moved the Court stating that he was not heard by the GHRC.
The GHRC on 30th April 2019 in its final order on the complaint filed by Adv. Aires Rodrigues while directing the Director General of Police to impose appropriate penalty on Amoncar Classic Caterers, had pointed out that Article 21 of the Constitution of India provides that every individual has a right to life which includes right to live with decency and human dignity and that on account of unhygienic food supplied to the police personnel during the 2016 BRICS Summit there was a clear infringement of Article 21 thus violating the basic Human rights of the police personnel to live with decency and human dignity.
Adv. Aires Rodrigues in his complaint to the GHRC on 14th October 2016 submitted that the contract for a whopping Rs 51, 60,000 was given to Amoncar Classic Caterers without a proper tender for supply of food to police personnel posted on duty for the BRICS Summit and that the contract was sub-let to a roadside contractor who clandestinely prepared the food in an open space at Verna.
Pointing out that road side labourers were engaged for cooking that substandard food in most unhygienic conditions with water stored in open plastic barrels and used for cooking, Adv. Rodrigues in his complaint further submitted that with thick bushes around the insects and cockroaches found their way into the food served to the police personnel.
Adv. Rodrigues also stated that despite the GHRC having more than once reminded the Government that police personnel are Human beings and should so be treated, the authorities had failed to make any proper arrangements including food, water and toilet facilities for the police personnel. Adv. Rodrigues further stated that while the Government had gone overboard in making all arrangements for those visiting dignitaries, it had conveniently neglected to cater to the basic fundamental and human rights of its own police personnel.
The GHRC by an interim order on 18th October 2016 directed that no payments be released by the government to Amoncar Classic Caterers pending inquiry into the entire episode.
