The High Court has issued notices to the village panchayats of Merces, Santa Cruz and Bambolim in response to a petition filed by the Anjuman Ahle Sunnat Islahul Muslemeen Trust seeking urgent judicial intervention over the shortage of burial grounds (kabrastans) for Muslim communities in Merces, Santa Cruz, Curca and Bambolim.
In its petition, the Trust has urged the court to address what it describes as a growing crisis caused by the lack of adequate burial facilities for members of the Muslim community in the affected villages.
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The petition also challenges a resolution passed by the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) on December 2, 2025, which prohibits the burial of persons residing outside the jurisdictions of Panaji and Taleigao in the city’s burial grounds.
According to the petitioners, the resolution has further aggravated the difficulties faced by Muslim families in neighbouring areas, making access to burial grounds increasingly challenging.
The High Court has now sought responses from the village panchayats of Merces, Santa Cruz and Bambolim, and the matter is expected to be taken up for further hearing after the concerned authorities file their replies.
