PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of all petitions related to Section 17(2) of the TCP Act sine die while granting liberty to the petitioners to mention the matter for hearing whenever an exigency arises in the future.
The development comes after the Supreme Court ordered a status quo on matters related to Section 17(2) and Outline Development Plans (ODPs).
The State government had filed two appeals before the apex court, against the High Court’s judgement dated March 13 in PIL Writ Petition No. 16 of 2023, PIL Writ Petition No. 17 of 2023 and PIL Writ Petition (F) No. 2317 of 2023, which read down Section 17(2) of the Act.
In March, the High Court had struck down the rules and guidelines of the controversial Section 17(2) in the “public interest,” after which the State government challenged the order in the Supreme Court.
In June, the High Court set aside the government’s ODPs for five villages and directed the State to follow the Regional Plan 2021 for the approval of plans and the grant of permissions in these villages.
The Supreme Court bench thereafter issued notice but proceeded to order a “status quo” to be maintained.
A senior government lawyer explained that the High Court’s order indicates postponement of the matter indefinitely. “The court has chosen not to give a fresh date for hearing at least for now. The matter will be taken up only when the court decides to resume them,” he explained.
