Goa wants SC to replace CEC with a retired judge
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 13 February 2013 22:31 IST
Goa government has requested the Supreme Court to replace the Centrally Empowered Committee on mining with a committee headed by a retired judge.
The government also wants the apex court to appoint Amicus Curie instead of allowing Goa Foundation to assist the committee.
The request has been made in the affidavit filed by the government before the supreme court.
In the affidavit, Goa government has strongly objected to the appointment of the CEC, calling it an "outside body".
The CEC, headed by P V Jaykrishnan, is presently monitoring the mining scenario on behalf of the supreme court.
The affidavit states: "The state government has absolutely no problems or issues with the Supreme Court monitoring the matter, like control and regulation by the State government, periodically. “
“But the state government has serious objections to bring in outside bodies like CEC, when Goa had already appointed High Powered Committee headed by a retired high court judge."
The state government here refers to the committee it has appointed of retired Justice R M S Khandeparkar.
The affidavit further states that "it has no objection if the Supreme Court appoints another committee of a retired supreme court judge to head the committee or appoint as members retired high court judges, but does not wish to have the CEC in the matter."
Goa government has also urged the supreme court to appoint Amicus Curie, in the place of Goa Foundation, to assist the SC in the hearing.
In fact it has alleged that Goa Foundation has crossed all permissible bounds and has gone into political thicket while making false allegations.
According to Goa government, Goa Foundation sought ex-parte relief by suppressing vital and material facts.
This has resulted into huge financial loss to the state exchequer, besides unemployment and closure of other dependent industries, states the affidavit.
