PANAJI
The State government on Wednesday pushed through in the Goa Legislative Assembly a Bill which empowers it to designate special courts for the speedy trial of land grabbing cases, brushing aside concerns raised by Opposition MLAs over certain provisions of the legislation.
The Bill, piloted by Revenue Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate, was passed by the House after a discussion in which Opposition members questioned aspects relating to jurisdiction and implementation.
Opposition legislators warned that some provisions could create legal ambiguity and lead to a jurisdictional overlap between existing courts and the proposed special courts. They argued that the measure could result in procedural delays instead of speeding up the resolution of cases.
The government, however, rejected the concerns and maintained that the legislation was necessary to address the growing menace that has affected landowners across the State.
Moving the Bill, Monserrate said land grabbing had emerged as a serious issue in Goa, involving the unlawful occupation of land through fraud, deceit or force, as well as unauthorised transactions and claims over properties.
He said, the legislation stems from recommendations made by the Justice V K Jadhav (Retd.) Commission of Inquiry, which was constituted by the Goa government in September 2022 to investigate cases of land grabbing.
The Commission's report had observed that land grabbing not only infringes on the rights of lawful owners and occupants but also results in prolonged litigation and challenges in the effective enforcement of criminal law.
The report recommended the creation of special courts to ensure expeditious trial and disposal of such cases.
The new law empowers the government, with the concurrence of the High Court, to designate one or more Courts of Sessions as Special Courts exclusively to deal with offences related to land grabbing.
The legislation also includes provisions to address difficulties that may arise during its implementation and validates actions taken before the law comes into force, provided they are consistent with its provisions.
The government said the measure would create a specialised mechanism for faster adjudication of land grabbing cases and strengthen efforts to curb illegal occupation of land in Goa.
