PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the Director of Panchayats to inquire into the conduct of the secretary of the Agassaim panchayat for allegedly failing to act on a complaint regarding an unauthorised construction for nearly seven months.
Hearing a petition filed by Ella Rosaria D’Souza, the Division Bench of Justices Valmiki Menezes and Hiten Venegavkar observed that the panchayat secretary had not acted in accordance with the provisions of the Goa Panchayat Raj Act despite receiving a complaint on October 27, 2025. The court further noted that a site inspection was carried out only on May 19, 2026, almost seven months after the complaint was lodged.
The Bench recorded that a stop-work order was eventually issued by the sarpanch, but only after the writ petition had already been filed before the High Court and the panchayat had been notified about the proceedings.
Taking serious note of the delay, the court directed the Director of Panchayats to depute an officer to inquire into the circumstances that led to the secretary’s inaction and to initiate appropriate action deemed necessary. The court further ordered that any inquiry and consequential action against the secretary be completed before the next hearing.
The court has also sought affidavits from the panchayat and the private respondent within two weeks. In addition, the Town Planner, Tiswadi, has been directed to conduct a site inspection and submit a report detailing the existing construction on the property. The matter has been posted for further hearing on July 22.
