Summary:
PANAJI: The crime branch of the Goa Police has moved a file to the state government seeking approval to challenge the Margao principal sessions court’s order discharging 10 accused in the infamous 2014 Ruby Residency case.Thirty-one workers lost their lives and 21 were injured when an under-construction building collapsed at the Ruby Residency project in Chaudi , Canacona, on January 4 that year.Crime branch SP Karthik Kashyap, said an opinion was sought froms the directorate of prosecution, following which it was concluded that the case was fit to be challenged.Principal sessions court judge B P Deshpande had ordered framing of charges only against the contractor of the project, Vishwas Dessai. Dessai was among the 11 against whom chargesheets were filed by the Canacona police.The 10 individuals discharged from the case before the framing of charges were eight government officials - Dipak Dessai, Prashant Shirodkar, Ramesh Naik, Pradip Naik, Ajay Naik Dessai, Ashank Naik Gaonkar, Suhas Phal Dessai and Prashant Bandodkar — and builders, Pardip Singh Birring and Jagdipkumar Sehgal.An inquiry commission chaired by retired IAS officer V K Jha, which was set up by the state to probe into the incident, had concluded that “poor conceptual designs, inherently defective structural design and poor execution of work at site, coupled with use of substandard construction material and certain bad practices of construction” had led to the collapse of the building..