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HC comes down heavily on prosecution for loopholes in Alistair Pereira case BAD BOY: Alistair Pereira The Bombay High Court refused to show any mercy to both the prosecution and the defence at the hearing of the Carter Road carnage case yesterday. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice Ranjana Desai came down heavily on the prosecution for the loopholes in the case’s investigation. They also did not spare the defence for their wrong timing to raise doubts about the investigation. Unhappy Justices The HC expressed its “unhappiness” when Rajendra Sawant, a Regional Transport Office (RTO) inspector could not satisfy the HC’s queries regarding the mechanical condition of Pereira’s Toyota Corolla after the accident. Said Justice Kumar, “It is necessary to seek clarification from Sawant and the investigation officer, Somnath Phulsundar. The inspector has answered some of our questions. But the advocate general will have to answer the remaining questions.” Rao cross-examined The HC also questioned Pereira’s lawyer Manjula Rao about why she did not cross-examine the doctor, who had examined Pereira, at the trial in the lower court, considering she had doubts regarding Pereira’s drunken state in his medical report. The HC remarked, “Cross examinations of the important witnesses in this case were intentionally curtailed.” Rao tried to defend her stand stating that she did not get enough time to cross-examine the doctor since the lower court judge conducted the trial at a fast pace. The HC, however, pointed out that she did not even show the prosecution any intention of wanting to cross-examine the doctor.