Team Goemkarponn
MADKAI: At the public gathering organized by Devi Navdurga Pratishthan, the villagers vowed to stick together and made the decision to appeal the High Court’s decision over the Navdurga Temple matter to the Supreme Court.
The residents added that they were prepared to die and would even meet with the president and prime minister to demand equal rights if necessary.
The residents decided to move the Supreme Court, calling for the removal of the “discriminatory” Mahajan Act from the Portuguese era, the permanent preservation of the ancient idol, and the declaration of the Navdurga Temple as a public temple with equal management rights for Sevekaris and villages.
They staged a demonstration at the temple and offered gharane in an attempt to win Goddess Navdurga’s blessings.
“We will fight and we are ready to die,” stated Devi Navdurga Pratishthan President Shailendra Panjikar. “If necessary, we will even meet with the President and Prime Minister to seek equal rights for the villagers and Goddess Navdurga devotees.”
As you may remember, the locals rejected the Mahajans’ (the Navdurga temple administrative committee’s) 2016 decision to replace the temple’s ancient idol.
Under the aegis of Devi Navdurga Pratishthan, the villagers appealed the Mahajans’ ruling at the Ponda District and Session Court. Because the dispute was sub judice, the court granted a delay on the replacement of the idol.
The High Court, which recently revoked the court order and supported the Mahajans’ argument for defending their rights under the Mahajan Act that governs the temples in Goa, heard the Mahajans’ challenge to the court’s ruling. The residents were given six weeks by the High Court to petition the Supreme Court.
