Goa govt to move Supreme Court over ST political reservation

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Panaji, Oct 30 IANS The Goa Government has decided to approach the Supreme Court to safeguard political reservation for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community in the Goa Legislative Assembly, following an interim order passed by the Bombay High Court (Goa Bench).

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Friday to deliberate on the legal implications of the High Court’s interim order and chart the future course of action to protect the long-pending demand for political reservation for the ST community.

The decision came amid Tribal leaders and community representatives expressing strong displeasure over the delay in implementing political reservation for Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Goa, following the Bombay High Court’s stay on the notification relating to estimated ST population figures.

The meeting was attended by Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Dr Ganesh Gaonkar, Tribal Welfare Minister Ramesh Tawadkar, Advocate General Devidas Pangam, Goa BJP president Damu Naik, Adv. Narendra Sawaikar, and prominent leaders and representatives of the ST community.

After detailed discussions, the meeting unanimously resolved to pursue the matter before the Supreme Court and take all necessary legal steps to ensure that the process of granting political reservation to the ST community remains protected.

As an immediate step, a delegation led by Tribal Welfare Minister Ramesh Tawadkar will travel to New Delhi to meet Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta. The delegation will discuss the legal implications of the High Court’s interim order and seek guidance on the appropriate legal course of action and further proceedings before the Supreme Court.

Chief Minister Sawant reiterated that his government remains firmly committed to securing political reservation for the ST community in the Goa Legislative Assembly.

He said the state government had consistently pursued the demand with the Centre and would continue making every possible effort to overcome legal hurdles and protect the constitutional and political rights of the community.

The Chief Minister also reaffirmed the government’s determination to ensure that the long-pending demand is addressed ahead of the 2027 Goa Legislative Assembly elections, underlining the importance of securing adequate political representation for the ST community.

–IANS

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