Congress MLA Atanasio Monserrate is going to face trial after a Goa court on Monday turned down his plea seeking dropping of charges against him in a 2016 rape case.
"The judge rejected the application to drop charges against me. I will approach the high court for dropping of charges. Now I will face trial," Monserrate told the reporters.
The charges relate to the rape of a minor.
Roy Dsouza, the public prosecutor in the case, said, "The court has fixed June 12 for framing of charges. The main sections against the Congress MLA are of rape and under the POCSO Act."
Meanwhile, the court granted anticipatory bail to Monserrate along with two others in connection with a recent case of alleged molestation of a woman activist.
The MLA had denied the allegations made by the woman activist.
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