PANAJI
The Supreme Court has granted an interim stay on the order of the Bombay High Court at Goa which had quashed and set aside the reservation notification with respect to five municipalities in Goa.
Swinging into action, the State Election Commissioner re-announced elections to 5 municipalities and extended the nomination filing time by 2 days.
After hearing Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented the State government, Atmaram N S Nadkarni, who represented the respondents Imtiyaz Shaikh who was one of the petitioners before the Bombay High Court at Goa, the Supreme Court granted the parties until Tuesday next to complete pleadings.
“We stay the impugned direction of the High Court as well as the Election Commission notification which is in pursuance of the High Court judgment,” the bench of Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman and Hrishikesh Roy ruled.
“The Supreme Court has stayed the High Court’s order cancelling elections to five municipalities and consequent order of State Election Commission keeping the election process in abeyance. Matter to come up for final hearing on Tuesday. Now, the democratic process has been restored”, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant tweeted no sooner the stay order was issued.
