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Goa Court Acquits Minister Atanasio Monserrate in 2016 Rape Case

The judge ruled the prosecution failed to establish sexual intercourse or the complainant’s age after a decade-long case built on inconsistent testimony.

Overview

  • Sessions Judge Irshad Agha said key facts required for conviction were "absolutely missing," including proof of intercourse and the complainant’s age at the time.
  • The complainant’s multiple statements conflicted, and in court she retracted core allegations and admitted earlier complaints were false, with medical evidence not supporting the charges.
  • Age could not be conclusively determined despite ossification testing and a two-year margin of error, leading to the dropping of child-specific charges and benefit of doubt on POCSO elements.
  • The court flagged investigative gaps, citing unreliable phone data extraction without hash values and no forensic link tying semen on a seized bedsheet to the accused.
  • Monserrate and co-accused Rosaria 'Rosy' Ferros were cleared on all counts, including IPC, POCSO and IT Act charges, concluding a roughly 10-year trial that examined about 40 witnesses after allegations of a ₹50 lakh sale, drugging and assault.