The district sessions court in Margao rejected on Thursday the anticipatory bail plea filed on behalf of the former Goa Tourism Minister, Mickky Pacheco, in the case of the unnatural death of Nadia Torrado.

In his order, District Sessions Judge B.P. Deshpande said that based on a statement given by Sonia, mother of the deceased, to a Goa hospital on May 15 and on the circumstantial evidence produced by the police, it was clear that the deceased did not consume poison by mistake, but there was reason to believe that either she was forcibly fed poison or induced to consume the same.

He upheld the plea of the police to have specific interrogation of the prime accused to ascertain the truth.

As per the case papers, Nadia was admitted to the Apollo Victor Hospital in Margao at 3.30 p.m. by her mother. Also, the prosecution noted that Mr. Pacheco was present at the hospital on May 15 and had signed the registration papers and also the receipt of payments made.

In a related development, the Crime Branch, which is investigating the case, booked Mr. Pacheco for culpable homicide, abetment to suicide and destruction of evidence.

The police said they were still looking for Mr. Pacheco.

Lyndon Monteiro, former Officer on Special Duty of Mr. Pacheco, whose anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the magistrate court, moved the Bombay High Court Bench in Goa on Thursday challenging the lower court's order.

Auda Viegas, who heads the women's rights group Bailancho Ekvott, which has been in the forefront pursuing the Nadia case, has complained to the police that she had been getting threatening calls asking her to keep away from the case.