Colva: The South Goa sessions court granted bail to murder accused Simanchal Parida, citing parity with a co-accused and the lack of progress in the trial.Parida is accused, along with four others, of murdering 27-year-old Dr Nirwan Bharat at Betalbatim in Feb 2023. He was employed as Bharat’s cook.Chief legal aid counsel Anisha Simoes argued that Parida had been in custody for over three years and that the trial had stalled, with no witness examined since its commencement.Judge Sharmila A Patil noted that the examination-in-chief of a panch witness was recorded in Sep 2025 and that no evidence had been recorded thereafter. The court also observed that the high court had granted bail to co-accused Alok Singh, entitling Parida to similar relief on grounds of parity.The court directed Parida’s release on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of Rs 25,000 each.
