Team Herald
PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Monday expressed its opinion that till the State finds place for a circuit bench in Goa, all the cases will be held in Pune and extended its interim stay on the order of MOEF&CC till October 3. The State has sought some more time to reply to the court.
The Court was hearing the suo motu case challenging the notification of MoEF&CC (Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Control) over shifting of Goa cases from Pune Bench of the NGT (National Green Tribunal) to New Delhi Principal Bench, and reserved its order for October 3.
The High Court last week had pressed upon setting up of a circuit bench of the NGT in Goa and had asked the State to file an affidavit. The State in its affidavit said there is no vacant space to set up the circuit bench in Goa. MoEF&CC, in its submission through affidavit before the High Court, said that the notification was issued based on the request of the Goa government.
The High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of media reports over the shifting of the cases to Delhi from Pune and stayed the shifting of the files to Delhi till further orders, considering the volume of the case pending before the bench and inconvenience to the petitioners.
