Team Herald
PONDA: The District Court at Ponda, which has been asked by the High Court to decide the Marcaim Navdurga idol replacement case with a month, has asked both parties in the case to submit their say in writing and with documents so as to decide the matter within the time limit.
Trial Court Judge Irshad Aga asked the Navdurga temple committee to file its written submission, to which the committee asked for some time. The next hearing is scheduled on March 1 at 2.30 pm.
Meanwhile, addressing the press in Ponda, the Marcaim Navdurga Pratishthan has appealed to the Bahujans of Goa to support the Marcaim residents in their fight.
MNP member Shailendra Panjikar alleged that the so-called high class people were levelling false allegations that the villagers were damaging the temple property. He questioned how the villagers could do this when they were performing all major functions including Palkhim celebrations, Divja, and Rathostav.
When asked whether temples are public or private property, Adv Amrut Kasar, who is representing the Marcaim villagers, said that temples are generally public property, especially, as per a Supreme Court verdict, those, where all rituals and celebrations took place with public participation and which received donations from public.
When asked about the Mahajan Act or Devasthan Act, he said, “The Mahajan law in Goa was passed during the era of the Portuguese, who did not believe in idols, and was prepared by the higher class community, in which there has been no place for the Bahujan Samaj. I have asked political leaders several times to change the outdated law.”
Regarding private temples, Kasar said that a temple could be private property if it was formed by a group of people for a specific purpose and if the public generally did not visit it. He added that the general public could still be allowed to enter it and offer prayers.
Incidentally, while the villagers gathered outside the court during the hearing, a woman was said to be possessed by Goddess Navdurga. While the villagers believed her, many other people, including the police, dismissed her claims.
