MARGAO: Senior Advocate Anacleto Viegas has said that lawyers, judges and the court staff in Goa should take a page from the book of the Telangana State legal fraternity and demand a High Court for Goa as the State is incomplete without a High Court.
“Article 214 of the Constitution of India mandates the setting up of a High Court for every state,” Anacleto said in a press note and advised, “The nascent State of Telangana has shown the way and its time we follow suit.”
Each year, the State produces more than 150 lawyers whose future is bleak on account of the yoke of the High Court of Bombay tied to our independent State, he said.
“The politicians of the State have neither the foresight nor the vision to complete our statehood by setting up the 3rd pillar of the State — that is an Independent Judiciary,” Adv Anacleto criticised.
“The mounting backlog of cases also does not move the government to demand and secure a High Court for the State which is our constitutional right. Every admitted Appeal, Revision or Writ takes more than 10 years to come up before the Bombay High Court Bench. What a shame?” he rued.
“The crocodile tears for expeditious justice and frivolous noise of running night Courts would not be necessary for Goa if we have our own Independent High Court. The talented and qualified youth of Goa who pass out from law colleges hardly have a chance to display their talent with the present arrangement,” Adv Anacleto regretted.
“The Bench consisting of three Judges has indeed lost its reason for existence as Goa yearns for its own High Court. The mandate of Article 214 of the Constitution needs to be enforced to provide for an independent High Court with a set up of at least 7 judges so that justice is delivered during the lifetime of the litigants,” Adv Anacleto said.
Adv Anacleto requested the High Court of Bombay to pave the way for a High Court for Goa instead of clinging on to Goa Bench when the backlog of cases in their own State is insurmountable.
