Danielle McLaughlin Rape and Murder trial to conclude on 17th October 2024, Thursday.
The trial which started on 4th of July 2017, would finally end after 88 months. Also ending the tribulations of the family and friends of Danielle. No More Extension.
After 15 months of the one year deadline set by Honourable High Court of Bombay at Goa, on 17th July 2023 to complete the trial proceedings of 28 Year old Danielle McLaughlin's rape and murder; the trial is to finally end on 17th October 2024.
Danielle a dual passport holder from United Kingdom and Ireland, was on a repeat visit to India in early 2017; when on Holi Eve at the intervening night of 13-14th March 2017, she was brutally raped and even more brutally murdered by a local resident Vikat Bhagat at Palolem.
Danielle had gone to southernmost Goa, just for a day to celebrate Holi, from extreme North, where she was training to be a Yoga Teacher.
You can find out more about the short life of Danielle or Dani as she was affectionately addressed by family and friends in this post here :
Prior to High Court's instructions on 17th July 2023, the trial was progressing almost at a Snail pace, which started on 4th of July 2017.
Six years, after every hearing, waiting for another hearing, which were conducted at best to two a month; the trial was not only of Danielle's but also of her family and friends.
Trial picked up great pace from August 2023 onwards and there has been an instance also where, the hearings were conducted on 3 consecutive days, a Hat-trick.
While the trial took the pace, the Defendant and his lawyers tried every trick in the book to delay it, this when, the Defendant Vikat Bhagat applied to High Court for bail in July 2023, pleading that he has been inside the jail for too long and the trial is progressing with very slow pace.
What all has happened in the trial and how the defence tried to delay it, has been documented in 24 Posts written on this publication, since 17th March 2023. This being the 25th One.
This is the section dedicated to Danielle and her long trial in this publication:
https://99goa.substack.com/s/danielle-mclaughlin-murder-trial/archive
Keenly watching the pace of the trial, everyone who loved Danielle was assured that the Trial Court would meet its deadline of 17th July 2024 of finishing the trial.
So much so that Danielle's Mom Andrea was making plans to visit Goa for the delivery of verdict and judgement.
She also wants to meet the gentleman farmer who first saw Danielle's dead body lying in his field. Since then, he has erected a small shrine in her memory there.
What is notable fact here is that in last 7 Years of the trial, senior Diplomats from both United Kingdom and Ireland have met the Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant and other senior officials of Government, requesting them to fast track the trial, which was promised in 2017.
Everytime a lame assurance was made, but it never happened and finally the High Court intervened, luckily on the bail plea of the accused.
Danielle's trial started on 4th July 2017 and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assumed the office on 19th March 2019. He has been the Chief Minister, since then.
17th July 2024 came and went away and there was no clarity to anyone whether the one year deadline of the trial has been extended, whether any application respect to this regards have been made by the Trial Court and if so, what is the length of extension, they are asking for?
Usually, when one is working under the instructions of higher authorities to finish the job within a deadline, and see that in spite of their best efforts and due to inadvertent circumstances, beyond their control, they would not be able to meet it; showing respect and sanctity of high office, one shall plea in advance for an extension of the deadline.
But, it seems obvious that in this case it did not happen. Though hard facts were to not come by even middle of August this year.
What was even more mind boggling and utterly distressing for everyone, was that after the passage of the deadline, Danielle's trial was back at the speed of mid 2023. Two or three hearings in a month.
What was again confounding, is that even one misses the deadline, one continues to work with same pace and vigour, so as to finish it as soon as possible, despite missing the deadline. Here, extreme opposite happened. The Hearings of the trial, almost stalled.
This has been highlighted by this publication, in this agonising post on 21st of August 2024 :
The what and why of past two months of court proceedings are still intriguing.
However, in the happiest news of past 14 months since 17th July 2024; very credible sources have confirmed that the trial would end on Thursday, 17th October 2024. No more extension.
After the Ganesh Festival holidays, the trial has again picked up, and is now almost daily. While the trial would conclude on 17th October, the verdict and judgement might take another 7 to 10 days.
Prosecution is very hopeful of a judgement which would deliver justice to Danielle, her family and friends after 88 months of gruelling, agonising and highly stressful trial.
Danielle would be happy, wherever she is and her family and friends are also happy and relieved, sighting the end of a long dark tunnel of trial and it's tribulations.
While not every circumstance could be under control of Government of Goa or for that matter Goa Police, when the incidents occur; what is surely under control of Chief Minister and Law Minister is to expedite and fast track all Rape cases, so that justice is delivered swiftly and faith of women tourists both from India and elsewhere in the world is intact, in the government of Goa and they don't desist from coming here.
It would be interesting what were the reasons / factors that delayed the trial for so many years. For instance, was it a lack of evidence against the accused or other tactics to delay the process.
No doubt, this whole episode seems to demonstrate the lackluster attitude and low priority of the judicial system to a case of rape.
Sorry for the error, I should have written a RAPE AND MURDER CASE in my comment.