PANAJI
The Bombay High Court in Goa will, on Wednesday, hear an appeal by Pastor Domnic D’Souza and his wife Joao challenging the Chief Secretary’s decision concerning the externment for allegedly practising illegal religious conversion and black magic.
The High Court had last month directed CS Puneet Goel to dispose of the appeals filed by the couple against the externment order issued by the North Goa Collectorate by April 26.
The petitioners had appealed the orders issued against them dated March 14. While they initially appealed against the order and sought interim relief in a plea before the Appellate Authority - the Chief Secretary on March 21; a delay in the hearing prompted them to approach the High Court for appropriate directions to the CS. With the recent decision by the CS, the couple has once again approached the High Court seeking the quashing of the order.
The District Collector had ordered the externing of the duo of Five Pillars Church in Siolim after the district police submitted a fresh proposal citing their involvement in a series of alleged religious conversions and black magic.
Former Superintendent of Police (North Goa) Nidhin Valsan had submitted a report to the Collector on January 4 seeking the externment of the duo for the “maximum period”.
