Velim Church Case: 22 Accused Acquitted, Court Cites No Evidence

The Margao JMFC Court, in its order dated October 30, 2025, has acquitted all 22 accused persons in the 2012 Velim Church attack case. The court observed that the prosecution had failed to prove the identity of any of the accused as being involved in the alleged incident and that there was no evidence to substantiate the charges against them.

To recall, the case pertained to an incident that occurred just days before the 2012 Goa Assembly elections. On February 25, 2012, a flying squad under the control of the District Election Officer conducted a search at the residence of the Parish Priest of St. Francis Xavier Church, Velim. The church committee members protested the raid, leading to a tense law and order situation.

Later that evening, police personnel from the Special Branch — PSI Kapil Nayak, Head Constable Krishnanand Rane, and Police Constable Kuldip Dessai — visited the church premises allegedly to collect intelligence related to the Assembly elections but reportedly misbehaved with the Parish Priest.

According to the police, 22 named accused persons, along with a mob of around 1,500 unidentified individuals, formed an unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapons, wrongfully confined the police staff inside the church premises, and allegedly pelted stones and glass bottles at CRPF personnel who arrived to rescue them, causing injuries to police and CRPF staff.

However, the trial court found no evidence on record to show that the injuries were caused by any of the accused. The doctors who examined the injured personnel opined that such injuries could have occurred from a fall on a rough or hard surface, and therefore could not be attributed to the accused.

The court also observed that in 2016, at the initial stage of the proceedings, the prosecution had sought withdrawal of the case on the ground that the incident occurred as a consequence of public resentment caused by the raid at the Parish Priest’s residence and the subsequent late-night visit of PSI Kapil Nayak and his staff to the premises. These circumstances clearly indicate that the genesis of the incident lay in the police visit, thereby casting serious doubt on the foundation of the prosecution’s case. On this basis alone, the accused are entitled to the benefit of doubt.

Hence, all the accused have been acquitted.