the goan I network
PANAJI
The Goa government on Thursday got yet another day’s time from the Bombay High Court to file its reply to the petition seeking a public declaration on the health status of ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Posting the next hearing in the matter for Monday, a Division Bench of the High Court comprising Justices RM Borde and Prithviraj Chavan, accepted the plea of Advocate General Dattaprasad Lawande that the government’s reply will be positively filed on Friday.
It was the third time that Lawande sought adjournment on grounds of seeking time to file the reply after the bench declined to buy his oral submission that the petition was not maintainable.
The High Court Bench had then asked him to file the reply by Friday last and fixed a hearing on Tuesday earlier this week.
But when it came up for hearing on Tuesday, Lawande sought an adjournment seeking time to file the written reply which he was told to do by Wednesday and fixed it for hearing on Thursday.
The Advocate General, however, did not file the reply and sought yet another adjournment.
Meanwhile, Rohit Bras de Sa, the counsel for petitioner Trajano D’Mello said, his office was in touch for a copy of the reply, but there was no indication whether it will be furnished as per the Court’s order.
“Today, we brought it to the notice of the Court that already two adjournments were granted and that this was the third time they are asking for adjournment,” de Sa said adding, if the reply is not filed tomorrow, then it will satisfy the position that the government has nothing to say to the petition and admit its contents.
D’Mello in the petition has claimed that “Parrikar, despite being physically incapacitated, bedridden in intensive care unit has breached constitutional trust to remain as Chief Minister and is mentally incapable of discharging his constitutional obligations.”
The petition also said that the Chief Minister being a constitutional authority cannot claim “immunity” to conceal details of his medical reports.
“The acts done and duties performed, are public
acts or duties as holder of public office. Therefore, he owes certain accountability for the acts done or duties performed,” the petition argues.
The Chief Minister’s Office has only said that he “continues to be stable”, it adds.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is battling advanced pancreatic cancer has been confined to his private residence at Dona Paula since October 15 when he returned to the State after spending nearly one month at AIIMS Delhi.
His physical absence from office and staying away from public view has earned intense criticism and there have been demands for his resignation from the Opposition Congress, civil society and even some partners of the coalition government headed by him.
Responding to criticism, the BJP has publicly stated that a definite decision to tackle the situation arising out of Parrikar’s illness will be taken by the party’s central leadership after December 11, citing the preoccupation with the ongoing elections in the Northern States.
THE WAITING GAME
Accepting the plea of Advocate General Dattaprasad Lawande that the government’s reply will be positively filed on Friday, the Bombay HC in Goa gave the Goa government yet another day’s time to file its reply
It was the third time that Lawande sought adjournment on grounds of seeking time to file the reply after the bench declined to buy his oral submission that the petition was not maintainable
Petitioner Trajano D’Mello had said that the Chief Minister being a constitutional authority cannot claim “immunity” to conceal details of his medical reports
Responding to criticism, the BJP has publicly stated that a definite decision to tackle the situation arising out of Parrikar’s illness will be taken by the party’s central leadership after December 11
