Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The High Court of Bombay at Goa disposed of a writ petition filed by four residents of Assagao and Anjuna who had challenged alleged arbitrary demolition and road-widening activities in their villages.
The decision came after the State assured that no action would be taken against their properties without adhering to due process of law.
Petitioners Desmond Alvares, Janice John Plavinkal, Wilma Mary Rodrigues, and Erwin Francis Fonseca argued that their ancestral homes, some over two centuries old, were under imminent threat of demolition at the instance of MLAs Michael Lobo and Delilah Lobo.
They alleged that the works were being carried out without land acquisition, compensation, or compliance with court orders.
The residents relied on the Supreme Court’s 2022 “bulldozer” ruling, a High Court judgment dated March 6, 2025, in a suo motu PIL, and a government circular of December 26, 2024—all of which mandated safeguards before any demolition.
They maintained that violations of these directives amounted to bypassing acquisition proceedings, denying compensation, and infringing their constitutional right to property under Article 300A.
The plea further claimed that portions of private houses, compound walls, and chapels had already been demolished, while drains constructed alongside compounds caused damage during monsoon rains.
They also alleged that Anjuna police failed to act on their complaints of illegal road widening and trespass, instead providing security cover for the works allegedly backed by the Lobo couple.
During the hearing, Advocate General Devidas Pangam, representing the State, assured the Bench that no steps would be taken against the petitioners’ properties without following the March 6 ruling, the December 26 circular, and Supreme Court guidelines.
Accepting the statement as an undertaking, the Division Bench of Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Ashish Chavan disposed of the petition. The court clarified that even panchayats were bound to follow the same legal framework as the State before initiating any such action.
