Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Supreme Court of India has rejected a Special Leave Petition challenging a construction project undertaken by fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani at Ecoxim in Pomburpa, clearing the way for the development to proceed.
The petition had been filed by local resident Dhirendra Phadte along with other villagers, who claimed the project was being carried out in an eco-sensitive area and violated planning regulations.
The dispute originated from a judgment delivered on October 15, 2025 by the Bombay High Court in a public interest litigation related to the project.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Joymalya Bagchi heard the matter on March 9 and declined to entertain the plea.
While dismissing the petition, the court noted that the project proponent had already assured the High Court that the construction would comply with the rules applicable to a Settlement Zone under the Regional Plan 2021. In its order, the bench observed that since such an undertaking had been recorded in the High Court’s judgment, there was no reason to proceed with the Special Leave Petition.
With this observation, the court dismissed the plea and disposed of all related applications.
The residents who filed the petition had been opposing the project, alleging that the development was taking place within the eco-sensitive zone of Ecoxim village. They also claimed that officials from the Town and Country Planning Department had facilitated projects in areas classified as No Development Zones by overlooking environmental concerns.
The issue had earlier sparked protests in the village, with locals organising a sustained campaign against the construction. Amid the agitation, the local panchayat had also issued a stop-work order on the project.
