Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: In a significant development, the Bombay High Court at Goa has overturned a stay order that had halted the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected managing committee of the Bodgeshwar Temple.
This decision, made on February 18, 2025, paves the way for the new committee to take office, marking a crucial milestone in the temple’s administrative transition.
The stay had been imposed following a petition filed by former committee members, including ex-president Anand Bhaidkar, who challenged the election process and the inclusion of new names in the list of mahajans (temple members).
The petition said that the executive committee had submitted a list of 254 new mahajans to the Mamledar of Bicholim on January 20, without the necessary approval from the committee’s president. This list was later rejected due to its late submission.
Advocate Abhijeet Gosavi, representing the newly elected committee, highlighted that the democratic process was strictly followed during the elections. “The stage is now set for the swearing-in of the new committee after the High Court set aside the order of the district court,” Gosavi stated.
He emphasized that the stay could not have been justified in the first place, given the adherence to democratic norms.
The new committee, elected on February 9, 2025, includes Adv. Vaman Pandit as the president, Amey Korgaonkar as the vice president, Harishchandra (Sushant) Gavkar as the secretary, Kunal Dhargalkar as the joint secretary, Shyamsunder Pednekar as the treasurer, Vishant Keni as the joint treasurer, Rajendra Pednekar as the mukhtar, and Sainath Raul as the joint mukhtar. This committee will be in office from April 2025 to March 2028.
The High Court’s decision has cleared the path for the new committee to assume their roles, bringing an end to the legal hurdles that had delayed their swearing-in ceremony.
