TEAM HERALD 

teamherald@herald-goa.com

PANJIM: Taking cognizance of defiance of its orders, the Bombay High Court at Goa has asked chief secretary to take appropriate action against president of administrative tribunal.

A division bench of Justices A P Lavande and U V Bakre while delivering a judgment on a writ petition filed by Jitendra Deshprabhu and others challenging the order of the Tribunal observed that president of the tribunal had deviated from the court directive.

Administrative Tribunal had set aside the election of Jitendra Deshprabhu and others on the managing committee of Devi Bhagwati Rawalnath Panchayatan Devashtan for which elections were held on February 14, 2010. 

Vasudev Deshprabhu and four others who were contesting candidates had challenged the election of Jitendra Deshprabhu and others before the administrative tribunal. 

Thereafter, the matter was argued, arguments were concluded on October 19, 2010 and the matter was fixed for judgment on August 8, 2010. The matter came to be adjourned from time to time when it came for delivery of judgment and finally, the Tribunal on August 8, 2012 set aside the election of the petitioners to the managing committee of devasthan. 

It is contention of the petitioners that judgment was delivered after a period of almost 15 months which is in violation of the directions given by High Court. As per the court directives it should have been delivered within three months.

“It is really disturbing that the President of the Administrative Tribunal has chosen to flout the directions given by the learned Single Judge of this Court in the case of Pradeep Sangodker (supra).” HC observed.

The Court also set aside the order of the Administrative Tribunal and remanded matter for fresh hearing with direction to the tribunal to dispose the appeal on or before July 31, 2012.