NEWS UPDATES

Deepak Surlakar, father of late Mandar Surlakar, has filed Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) before the Supreme Court challenging the High Court's judgment ordering the premature release of convicts Rohan Dhungat, Ryan Pinto and Shankar Tiwari. In a separate SLP, Surlakar has challenged the decision of the Goa State Sentence Review Board recommending the premature release of the three convicts. The Supreme Court has issued notices to all the respondents in all four SLPs • Crime Branch has arrested Tarak M. Arolkar in connection with an alleged property fraud involving Rs 40 lakh. Police allege Arolkar falsely represented himself as the owner of a property at Assagao and induced the complainant to pay the amount for execution of a Sale Deed, which was allegedly never executed. • Mapusa Police have solved the blind accident case at Moira that resulted in the death of Moira resident Antonio Jonnie Quadros. Police have detained the accused driver allegedly involved in the accident. • Amit Patkar rejects Girish Chodankar’s allegations over his alleged failure to attend the meeting, saying he never received any message from M.K. Shaikh; Patkar said the circulated screenshot shows only a single tick, indicating the message was not delivered to his phone. He questioned why he was not contacted directly if his presence was important and accused Chodankar of making public allegations without verifying the facts • ABVP sweeps the election at Goa Multifaculty College, Dharbandora. The winning panel expressed gratitude to youth leader Sanket Arsekar for his guidance, support and mentorship throughout the election. • GHRDC security guard Asha Chodankar has been taken into custody by Colvale Police after allegedly being caught smuggling ganja and charas into Colvale Jail. Three mobile phones and three ATM cards were also seized from her possession. • Pernem Congress Block President Krishna Naik joins the BJP in the presence of Pernem MLA Pravin Arlekar, giving the Congress a setback in the constituency. • Congress has lodged complaints against BJYM workers over their protest during Mallikarjun Kharge’s convoy arrival at Dabolim Airport. Amit Palekar questioned the absence of an FIR, alleging interference with Kharge’s Z+ security arrangements, and sought an explanation from Goa Police. • Curchorem Butterfly Garden Awaits Forest Department Support to Resume Work Caption: Proposed under the Goa Biodiversity Project, the Curchorem butterfly garden has been stalled for months due to municipal fund shortages. Curchorem Municipal Chief Officer Milind Velip stated that the municipality is ready to move forward in coordination with the Forest Department, requesting their support for retaining wall and lighting work. Once these key tasks are completed, the municipality plans to float tenders, plant native Goan trees before Ganesh Chaturthi, and open the garden for public use. #Goa #Curchorem #Biodiversity #ButterflyGarden #GoaNews #ForestDepartment #LocalDevelopment #UrbanGreenery #GoaForests #GaneshChaturthi Deepak Surlakar, father of late Mandar Surlakar, has filed Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) before the Supreme Court challenging the High Court's judgment ordering the premature release of convicts Rohan Dhungat, Ryan Pinto and Shankar Tiwari. In a separate SLP, Surlakar has challenged the decision of the Goa State Sentence Review Board recommending the premature release of the three convicts. The Supreme Court has issued notices to all the respondents in all four SLPs • Crime Branch has arrested Tarak M. Arolkar in connection with an alleged property fraud involving Rs 40 lakh. Police allege Arolkar falsely represented himself as the owner of a property at Assagao and induced the complainant to pay the amount for execution of a Sale Deed, which was allegedly never executed. • Mapusa Police have solved the blind accident case at Moira that resulted in the death of Moira resident Antonio Jonnie Quadros. Police have detained the accused driver allegedly involved in the accident. • Amit Patkar rejects Girish Chodankar’s allegations over his alleged failure to attend the meeting, saying he never received any message from M.K. Shaikh; Patkar said the circulated screenshot shows only a single tick, indicating the message was not delivered to his phone. He questioned why he was not contacted directly if his presence was important and accused Chodankar of making public allegations without verifying the facts • ABVP sweeps the election at Goa Multifaculty College, Dharbandora. The winning panel expressed gratitude to youth leader Sanket Arsekar for his guidance, support and mentorship throughout the election. • GHRDC security guard Asha Chodankar has been taken into custody by Colvale Police after allegedly being caught smuggling ganja and charas into Colvale Jail. Three mobile phones and three ATM cards were also seized from her possession. • Pernem Congress Block President Krishna Naik joins the BJP in the presence of Pernem MLA Pravin Arlekar, giving the Congress a setback in the constituency. • Congress has lodged complaints against BJYM workers over their protest during Mallikarjun Kharge’s convoy arrival at Dabolim Airport. Amit Palekar questioned the absence of an FIR, alleging interference with Kharge’s Z+ security arrangements, and sought an explanation from Goa Police. • Curchorem Butterfly Garden Awaits Forest Department Support to Resume Work Caption: Proposed under the Goa Biodiversity Project, the Curchorem butterfly garden has been stalled for months due to municipal fund shortages. Curchorem Municipal Chief Officer Milind Velip stated that the municipality is ready to move forward in coordination with the Forest Department, requesting their support for retaining wall and lighting work. Once these key tasks are completed, the municipality plans to float tenders, plant native Goan trees before Ganesh Chaturthi, and open the garden for public use. #Goa #Curchorem #Biodiversity #ButterflyGarden #GoaNews #ForestDepartment #LocalDevelopment #UrbanGreenery #GoaForests #GaneshChaturthi

LEGAL

PMLA Case: High Court Stays Bail Granted to Nihal VN in ₹3.96 Crore Money Laundering Case

The High Court has stayed the bail granted to Nihal Vadakkencherry Nazer (also known as Nihal V. N. or Nihal Rak) in an ongoing money‑launde

19th Aug 2026 • 1 hour ago • 53 views

PMLA Case: High Court Stays Bail Granted to Nihal VN in ₹3.96 Crore Money Laundering Case

The High Court has stayed the bail granted to Nihal Vadakkencherry Nazer (also known as Nihal V. N. or Nihal Rak) in an ongoing money‑laundering case registered by the Goa Enforcement Directorate concerning more than ₹3.96 crore.

On Wednesday, the High Court issued an ad‑interim ex parte stay of the release order that the North Goa Special PMLA Court had passed a day earlier. The High Court directed that the accused shall not be released from judicial custody pending further hearing and issued a notice returnable on August 28, 2026.

The Enforcement Directorate, represented by Deputy Solicitor General of India Adv. Pravin Faldessai and Special Public Prosecutor Adv. Siddharth Samant, filed an urgent petition challenging the Special PMLA Court’s August 18 order granting bail to Nihal V.N. The central agency contended that the accused played a direct role in an offence involving an aggregate sum exceeding ₹3.96 crore and that the mandatory twin conditions under the PMLA were not satisfied.

The ED further argued that the investigation remains active and that releasing the accused would jeopardize the probe.

Considering the seriousness of the allegations and the risk of irreversible prejudice should the accused be released, the High Court granted ad‑interim relief and stayed the operation and execution of the bail order.

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