PANJIM: Pastors Joan Mascarenhas E D’Souza and Dominic D’Souza on Saturday alleged that the State government was not complying with the directives of the National Commission for Minorities directing to furnish action taken report within 10 days.
“The SP (North) has failed to comply with the directions of the National Commission for Minorities and this shows clearly the law and callous attitude of the Government of Goa,” she said.
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The pastors had filed the writ petitions challenging the North Goa District Magistrate order claiming that it was unconstitutional and infringing upon the fundamentals of the 5 Pillars Christian Church, situated at Tropa-Siolim as well as personal fundamental rights to profess and practice the Christian religion.
The order was passed on May 19, 2023 by the High Court of Bombay at Goa by Division Bench comprising Justice MS Sonak and Justice Valmiki SA Menezes setting aside the Section 144 CrPC order clamped by the District Magistrate.
The petitioner contended that Mapusa Pl Paresh Naik had suppressed the material facts of the outcome of the cases, while, North Goa SP Nidhin Valsan failed to apply his mind about the logical conclusion of the cases, and so also the Collector Mamu Hage.
“The officials sought to make a case of allurement to religious conversion by citing the Evangelism, which is the fundamental expression of the nature, purpose of the Church as public gatherings for religious conversion,’’ the petitioner submitted.
The law and order cited in the report was also misleading as the then Mapusa PI Kapil Nayak had himself prepared a report of existing peace in the locality and absence of any law and order since the year 2019, D’Souza claimed. All cases registered against the Pastor before the Mapusa Police Station were arising out of land grabbing issue, which was provoked by the former Siolim-Sodiem sarpanchas, she alleged.
