Lawyers surprised with sudden move to shift Panaji courts
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 08 December 2015 23:12 IST
In a startling move, the North Goa court authorities have decided to shift all the four civil and criminal courts to a rented building at Patto, overnight.
A notice in this regard was displayed today evening, stating that all the four courts would start functioning in a new premise from tomorrow morning.
The North Goa Advocates’ Association had opposed the move, by filing writ petitions in the high court as well as the Supreme Court.
Enraged with this ‘secret’ move, members of the Bar Association of Bombay high court at Goa are meeting the senior judge, opposing this sudden action.
It is alleged that the courts are shifted to Space Building at Patto Plaza, owned by Nilesh Amonkar, who is very close to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leadership.
The government plans to occupy four floors of the building by spending around Rs crore towards a monthly rent since the building was not getting clients due to the smell of the garbage that is treated by City Corporation of Panaji.
The lawyers from North Goa even had a public meeting in protest of the move.
The courts had directed the district judge to take an appropriate decision after considering all the aspects.
Accordingly, the CCP as well as Goa State Pollution Control Board were also sent notices, seeking their submissions regarding the garbage smell.
Following this, Principal District and Sessions Judge B P Deshpande today evening issued the notice that all the four courts will start functioning at the third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors of Space Building from tomorrow.
No matter what the lawyers do, the courts functioning in an old building near Panaji Residency would now start functioning from Patto Plaza from tomorrow morning.
COPY OF THE SHIFTING NOTICE
