Goa Government to Approach Supreme Court to Secure Political Reservation for ST Community
The Goa government plans to challenge a High Court ruling to protect political reservation for the Scheduled Tribe community.
Panaji, October 30 (Daily Kiran) : The Goa government has decided to take its fight for political reservation for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community to the Supreme Court. This move follows an interim stay imposed by the Bombay High Court regarding a notification linked to the estimated population of the ST community.
On Friday, Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the legal implications of the High Court’s order. The meeting aimed to strategize on how to safeguard the long-standing demand for political reservation for the ST community.
The decision comes amid rising frustration among tribal leaders and community representatives over the delays in implementing political reservation. The community has expressed increasing concern following the High Court’s stay on the population-related notification.
Attendees at the meeting included Goa Assembly Speaker Dr. Ganesh Gaonkar, Tribal Welfare Minister Ramesh Tawadkar, Advocate General Devadas Pangam, Goa BJP President Damu Naik, Advocate Narendra Sawikar, and several prominent leaders from the ST community.
After thorough discussions, the group unanimously agreed to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court and to take all necessary legal steps to ensure the political reservation process for the ST community remains intact.
As a first step, a delegation led by Minister Ramesh Tawadkar will travel to New Delhi. They plan to meet with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to discuss the legal ramifications of the High Court’s interim order and to seek guidance on the next steps in their legal strategy.
Chief Minister Sawant reiterated his government’s commitment to securing political reservation for the ST community in the Goa Assembly. He emphasized that the state government has consistently raised this demand with the central government and will continue to work towards overcoming legal obstacles to protect the community’s constitutional and political rights.
Furthermore, Sawant stated that the government is determined to fulfill this long-standing demand before the 2027 Goa Assembly elections. He underscored the importance of adequate political representation for the tribal community in the democratic framework.
