PANAJI
The legal battle over Goa’s offshore casinos turned on the precise boundary between inland and territorial waters before the High Court of Bombay at Goa on Tuesday, as petitioners relied on navigation charts and official notifications to challenge the vessels’ operations.
During the ongoing hearing of a batch of Public Interest Litigations (PILs), the petitioners highlighted the statutory and geographical distinctions between inland waters and territorial waters and their relevance to the operation of offshore casino vessels.
The petitioners relied on navigation charts and official notifications issued by the Directorate General of Shipping and the Hydrographic Department (Hydro Bharat) to explain the established baseline along the coast.
They pointed out that the baseline connects geographical points including Cabo de Rama in the south and Sail Rock and Burnt Rocks, also known as Vengurla Rocks, off Malvan in the north.
