PANJIM: The Navdurga temple Mahajans on Tuesday obtained a stay order from the High Court of Bombay at Goa over the district court’s order for status quo on the idol replacement ceremony of goddess Navdurga at Marcaim.
The temple committee challenged the order of the district court and after hearing arguments from temple committee counsel Subodh Kantak, the court passed an ex-parte interim order giving relief to the Mahajans. The Mahajans also made the government a party in the case and State Advocate General Atamaram Nadkarni was present in the court during the arguments.
The court issued notices to the prathishtan who are non-mahajans returnable on February 25. The court also fixed the next hearing on February 25 as the temple committee filed two separate applications based on the prathisthan petition in the district court. The prathishtan, while demanding a stay on the replacement of the idol, challenged in the district court the temple committee’s claim that the temple is private property.
Marcaim villagers, who are non mahajans, have opposed the replacement of the Navdurga idol that the temple committee proposed by claiming that the idol has deteriorated. The protesting villagers stated that the idol could be restored with chemical treatment.
Speaking to Herald, Vallabh Kamat, President of the Navdurga Temple Committee, said the future programme will be planned in the coming days. The committee had earlier planned to have the idol changing ceremony from February 22 onwards over a period of 12 days.
