From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Sep 27: While Goa police have issued non-bailable warrant  against 73-year-old German national Ingo Grill, the state government has refused to give him visa, which has forced the accused to stay back in his homeland, his lawyer said.
 
Grill, a businessman who pioneered the concept of Saturday night bazaar in Goa’s coastal village of Arpora, has applied for the visa in the Indian consulate.
 
Grill’s lawyer vikram varma said that the Indian government has consistently refused him the visa even as he is wanted in Goa for the case of illegal cutting of trees.
 
”The Government had filed a case for the illegal cutting of a tree by some local persons,” Varma said.
 
He said that even though this act was done without the knowledge of Grill and at a time when he was not even present in this country, he was made a co-accused.
 
“His presence is required by the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court in Mapusa to defend himself and a non-bailable warrant has been issued in his name through Calangute police station,” Varma added.
 
The businessman who has spent 27 years of his life in Goa had a bitter legal fight with the Goa government after deportation orders were served on him.
 
Grill won the case against the government in the Goa bench of Bombay high court, which had ruled that the state had no grounds to deport him.
 
The German was accused of running a drug cartel in the state by the state police, who have failed to file any case against him, Varma stated.
 
Grill’s counsel Varma, referring to the case of tree cutting filed against him, said that every civilised society provides an opportunity to a man to defend himself against accusations.
 
“To my mind we certainly are a civilised society and we should permit him to return to Goa and present himself in court with available evidence for his defence,” he said.
 
Ingo’s night bazaar, a concept which attracted thousands of people at his property in Arpora, is non functional since last season after he had a spat with some local partners.
 
Varma said that Ingo has been blacklisted for the visa although his property is still in Goa.
 
“By being black listed for a visa he has been unable to return to his home and life. This seems a clear case of conflict of laws,” he said.
 
In the same breathe, Varma conceded that the provision of a visa is clearly the pleasure of the Government and that pleasure cannot be challenged in a court of law.