By making it public that on the liquor ban order he is waiting for the Supreme Court bench to change, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is in clear and rank contempt of the Supreme Court. That too, coming from the mouth of the Chief Minister of a State is even more damning. What does he seek to convey to the common man about the judiciary? His statement is outrageous and displays total disrespect to the Majesty of the Court. That the BJP which is geared and guided by the RSS ideology wants Goa to be a dry State is another issue.
The recent March 31st highway liquor ban modified order of the Supreme Court was passed by a bench comprising of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Dr. D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice L. Nageswara Rao. If any review petition or application for modification is moved it will always come up for hearing before these very same judges unless any of them has retired.
So is Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar waiting for Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar to retire on 27th August this year? The other two judges have a long way to go with Justice Dr. D.Y. Chandrachud retiring on 10th November 2024 and Justice L. Nageswara Rao on 7th June 2022.
Any litigant and more so the Government must be sincerely honest to the Court and make out a case to obtain the needed relief. And after having slept over the issue for three long months, why should it now take another three months for the BJP Government to move the Supreme Court? The now power intoxicated Manohar Parrikar should mind his words and should not have even remotely spoken of Bench hunting. Manohar Parrikar should not forget that he had to once tender an unconditional apology to the Bombay High Court at Goa when he was hauled up for contempt.
As an officer of Court I will not abdicate in my responsibility in now pointing out to the Supreme Court this contumacious conduct by Goa’s Chief Minister Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar so that the law can take its own course for him having acted in clear contempt of the Supreme Court of India.
