Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s offer that he along with his friends would fund any NGO or activist to file a petition on the Mhadei issue is highly objectionable. While speaking in the Goa Legislative Assembly on the Mhadei issue yesterday Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar stated that he was ready to personally fund and would also get his friends to pitch in towards the expenses incurred by any NGO or activist who is ready to file a petition on the Mhadei issue before the Supreme Court or the Green Tribunal.
Fomenting or funding of any litigation before any Court is absolutely illegal and a very corrupt act. It is no surprise that such a reckless suggestion has come from Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar who now seems to have clearly lost his mental balance. A transcript of this highhanded statement made by the Chief Minister would be sent to the Chief Justice of India and the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court to draw their attention to the despicable manner in which the Chief Minister had offered to circumvent the laid down law on filing petitions. Would any right minded person ever make such an offer which the law clearly does not permit? One wonders whether the very flexible Advocate General Atmaram Nadkarni is in consonance with this devious strategy mooted by the Chief Minister of the government virtually outsourcing the filing of the petition. As Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had just recently accused NGOs and activists of filing petitions with vested interests, the double talk by the Chief Minister now stands utterly exposed. The so called integrity and honesty of the Chief Minister is now clearly questionable in view of his attempt to initiate litigation by proxy, something which has been strongly deprecated in various Judgments passed by the Supreme Court and the High Courts. This dubious offer made by the Chief Minister also runs contrary to his much publicized mantra of Zero tolerance to Corruption and Good Governance. The Government should vehemently protect Goa’s interests on the Mhadei issue within the frame work of law rather than stooping to the illegal mode of Chief Minister and his friends funding others to carry on the government’s battle. Aires Rodrigues Advocate High Court C/G-2, Shopping Complex Ribandar Retreat, Ribandar – Goa – 403006 Mobile No: 9822684372 Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012 Email: airesrodrigu...@gmail.com Or airesrodrig...@yahoo.com You can also reach me on Facebook.com/ AiresRodrigues Twitter@rodrigues_aires