AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
PORVORIM: The Administrative Tribunal has been functioning without an Additional President since 2015, while the post of President continues to be filled on deputation, despite candidates both positions having al-ready been selected on October 9, 2025. for “The selection committee,” reads Starred LAQ No 178 dated January 14, 2026, “conducted interviews on October 8, 2025 and October 9, 2025 and submitted the minutes of the Selection Committee to the Government for its approval.”
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The Selection Committee was chaired by Justice Bharati Dangre, senior-most judge of the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court. Its other members were Dr V Chandavelou, Chief Secretary, Govern-ment of Goa, and Sandip Jacques, Law Secretary, Government of Goa. Candi-dates for both posts were selected and their names forwarded to the government, according to the reply provided in Unstarred LAQ No 0178 dated January 14, 2026.
The Administrative -Tribunal functions as the – State’s revenue appellate tribunal and exercises appellate and revisional – jurisdiction under various legislations, includ ing the Goa Agricultural Tenancy Act, Mundkar Act, Land Revenue Code, Code of Comunidades, School Education Act, and Entertainment Acts. It also serves as the Municipalities Appellate Tribunal and Co-operative Tribunal. The initial delay, as indicated in the reply to Un-starred LAQ No 007 dated July 19, 2024, was because “none of the candidates could be selected in 2021 as they were found not to be suitable.”
The posts were re-advertised in 2024, and a Selection Committee was constituted. However, the process could not reach its logical conclusion ‘due to administrative reasons’. The delay in appointments, despite the file having been sent to the government on October 15, 2025, has led senior advocates at the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court to speculate on the reasons and express their concerns.
“It is clear that the people selected by the Selection Committee are not to the liking of the government. It is sad that the recommendation of a Selection Committee headed by the senior-most judge of the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court is being ignored,” said Carlos Alvares Ferreira, Senior Advocate and MLA from the Aldona constituency.
Cleofato Almeida Coutinho, another senior advocate, believes the problem of not filling up vacancies affects the entire judicial process in the State. “There is a need for judges at the trial court level. Vacancies in lower courts need to be filled. I am not saying that the tribunal should be ignored. The candidates selected should have been appointed to the Administrative Tribunal, but in my opinion, the government should give priority to other courts too,” said Coutinho.
Coutinho added that “revenue matters are decreasing. and survey matters are increasing. Civil courts are overloaded with work, and the government must start thinking in terms of filling up those vacancies. The number of cases in these courts is increasing every day, and this affects litigants.” Advocates practising before the Administrative Tribunal say its functioning would improve significantly with the appointment of the selected candidates.
“There is a President deputed to handle cases at the moment, and work is going on. The office would function much more smoothly if the appointments were made. There is a difference in approach when someone is deputed versus when someone is formally designated, especially as far as administration is concerned,” said Oswald Pinto, a retired government officer who practises before the tribunal.
In the Aires Rodrigues vs Zoivonta E Porob case (2002), the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court held that the post of President of the Administrative Tribunal is equivalent to that of a District Judge within the meaning of Article 236 of the Constitution of India. “Apart from being the State’s revenue appellate tribunal, the Administrative Tribunal also exercises appellate jurisdiction under the Air Pollution Act, Water Pollution Act, and Waste Management Rules. I have all respect for the presently deputed President, but full-time appointees would definitely take the functioning of the tribunal to another level,” said an advocate of the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court on condition of anonymity.
