Team Herald
PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Thursday directed the Registry of the Administrative Tribunal to henceforth accept every proceeding lodged before it, register such proceeding, and to raise such office objections as it deems fit, in writing, and notify the same to the concerned Advocate.
The Court directions came after it observed that the Administrative Tribunal staff were adopting an irregular procedure of examining the appeals and refusing to register the same until the Presiding Officer directs such registration.
The petitioner Venkatesh Prabhu Moni, who has been arrested under recovery proceedings of arrears of Land Revenue Code, 1968, had attempted to file an appeal against the impugned order of the North Goa Collector before the Registrar of the Administrative Tribunal, Panjim on January 6, 2025 and the advocate who presented the appeal was requested to come back to attend the Registry of the Tribunal next day.
The appeal was not lodged by the Registrar on January 6 and since the Superintendent of the Administrative Tribunal was on sick leave till January 7, the clerk on duty informed the advocate that he does not have instructions to examine the memo of appeal or to register the same.
Again on January 8, the Advocate was informed that the concerned clerk was on leave and that he was not permitted to enter the chamber of the Presiding Officer to press for interim reliefs sought in the appeal.
“As of date, there appears to be a refusal on the part of the Registrar of the Administrative Tribunal to lodge the appeal since there appears to be some kind of objection to the memo or draft of the memo presented to the Registry,” Justice Valmiki Menezes said.
The Court has directed the Registrar of the Administrative Tribunal to accept the memo of appeal presented by the petitioner before it by January 17, 2025, register the appeal, raise such objections as it deems fit and place the matter immediately before the Presiding Officer for passing necessary orders.
The Court observed that the Registry of the Administrative Tribunal was following an irregular procedure of examining the Memo of Appeal and refusing to register the same until the Presiding Officer directs such registration. It directed the Registry of the Administrative Tribunal to henceforth accept every proceeding lodged before it, and register such proceeding, noting its date of lodging; the Registry is free to raise such office objections as it deems fit, in writing, and notify the same to the concerned Advocate.