PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has issued notice to the proposed Goa Congress Party through its president in a petition challenging the registration of the new political outfit, weeks after the Election Commission of India (ECI) was put on notice in the matter.
The petition has been filed by Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar, who has challenged the proposed registration on the ground that the name “Goa Congress Party” is substantially similar to “Goa Congress”, a name widely used by the GPCC in its public outreach and social media communications.
The Division Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar made the notice returnable on September 22.
Chodankar contended that the mere addition of the generic term “Party” does not create enough distinction between the proposed outfit and the Congress. He said the similarity could confuse voters, particularly with the Goa Assembly elections approaching.
The petition stated that the Congress party and Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao had submitted three representations to the ECI on July 11, July 27 and August 2, objecting to the public notice issued by the applicant on July 2 seeking registration of the proposed party.
It alleged that the ECI had not decided on the objections despite the representations.
The court has stated that the pendency of the petition would not prevent the ECI from considering and deciding Chodankar’s objections, provided it follows the prescribed procedure.
Amarnath Panjikar, chairman of the GPCC Media and Communication Department, said the court’s order was significant and expressed confidence that the objections would be examined in accordance with the law.
“The High Court order is a significant development. We expect the ECI to examine all objections objectively and take a decision strictly in accordance with law and the prescribed procedure,” Panjikar said.
