North Goa lawyers condemn
shifting of trial courts to Patto
The Goan Network
PANAJI
Lawyers in North Goa have unanimously passed a resolution condemning the action of shifting of trial courts in Panaji to a building called ‘Spaces’ in Patto.
In an extraordinary general body meeting called, Sanjay Rane, president, North Goa District Advocates Association (NGDAA), said, “We denounce the action of moving lower courts from Panaji to Patto in a manner which we think was very shabby by the administration”
Just a few days back, Panaji trial courts have been moved to Patto from behind Old Secretariat, where they used to function till recently. Rane added, “We had brought it to the notice of the judiciary that the old premises have sufficient space just that lot of old files and the stuff seized during the proceedings of cases has to be cleared”
The story dates back to 2013 when NGDAA had brought to the notice of chief justice of High Court that premises of lower courts were in pathetic condition in Panaji, Mapusa and Ponda. From that point onwards, NGDAA alleged that it was entirely kept in dark both by the state government and by the judiciary as to the movement of court premises.
Rane further went to add “We got a hint from judiciary that courts will be moved to Patto only in June 2015. But, there is an agreement signed between the state government and the private builder of Spaces in January 2014 as per which the government had taken eight floors in this building on rent. Of those eight floors, floor number 3, 4, 5 and 6 were kept for lower courts of Panaji”
When NGDAA got to know that court premises would be moved to Patto, it filed a petition against it in the Supreme Court, which in turn advised it to do so in the High Court. It is reported that the High Court hasn’t yet given a judgement favourable to NGDAA. But, in the meanwhile, lower courts are already functioning from ‘Spaces’ building in Patto.
Rane said, “We have decided that we will again go to the Supreme Court to challenge this decision to move the lower courts to Patto. The building ‘Spaces’ is close to garbage dump and earlier even Goa State Pollution Control Board said that operating from here isn’t good for health. Besides, the building and its lift can’t carry the burden of high number of people, who are going to come there for cases.”
