PANAJI: With the Bombay High Court rejecting their anticipatory bail applications, Mr Francisco Xavier Pacheco, the former tourism minister, and Mr Lyndon Monteiro, former deputy chairman of Goa Tourism Development Corporation,

have been left with two options of either surrendering before the court or the police or approaching the Supreme Court of India to get the anticipatory bail.

A few legal experts told The Navhind Times on Monday evening that the best option before the "fugitive" duo was to surrender before a court and try to get regular bail, given the seriousness of the case. They also said the duo could also approach the Supreme Court to get "relief" in the case that hit the headlines in the state and was widely reported by the national media.

The legal experts also said that with no relief from any of the courts that the duo has approached after being named in the case relating to the death of Nadia Torrado, a close friend of Mr Pacheco who died after she consumed Ratol, they risk arrest by the police any moment and it would be rather difficult for them to leave the state without being noticed.

A reputed lawyer said that the situation emerging so far involving the former tourism minister was almost similar to the involving Mr John Fernandes, who was named in the rape case of a Russian and who despite all attempts failed to get any relief from any of the courts in the country.