MAPUSA
The Additional Sessions Judge at the Fast Track Court in Mapusa on Saturday quashed an order of the Block Development Officer (BDO) disqualifying Corlim Sarpanch Gorakhnath Kerkar and Panch Supriya Kerkar.
According to details, Supriya Kerkar had submitted applications to the Panchayat seeking 'No Objection Certificates' (NOCs) to obtain house numbers and water/electricity connections for two properties owned by them.
Resolutions regarding these applications were passed during a Panchayat meeting on December 29, 2023. Purso Dhulapkar and Honu Dhulapkar then filed a complaint, alleging that two Kerkars had misused their official positions as the resolutions had involved their personal interests.
Acting on this, the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Tiswadi issued an order on October 6, 2025, declaring Gorakhnath Kerkar and Supriya Kerkar disqualified as panchayat members. The Kerkar couple subsequently challenged this decision in court.
The court observed that while the Kerkar couple certainly had an interest in the constructions in question, they had both stepped out of the meeting hall when the resolutions were being discussed or voted upon. This was recorded in the minutes of the meeting and further corroborated by the testimony of the then sarpanch.
The court noted that the complainants had failed to provide any concrete evidence to prove that the Kerkars had participated in the discussions or the voting process.
On October 18, 2025, the Mapusa court set aside this order and remanded the matter back to the BDO for a fresh hearing, granting both parties an opportunity to present their evidence.
Following the recording of fresh evidence and the conclusion of the hearing, the BDO delivered a final verdict on August 26, 2026. Under this order, both individuals were declared disqualified with immediate effect.
The Kerkar couple challenged this disqualification order in court. Following a hearing, Additional Sessions Judge Reina S. Fernandes at the Fast Track Court in Mapusa on Saturday, quashed the BDO’s order, providing relief to the couple.
