Panaji: Taking cognisance of the violent attack on advocate Ankur Kumar during a demolition process in Morjim, the High Court of Bombay at Goa on Monday directed the Superintendent of Police, North Goa, to immediately transfer the investigation to an experienced officer from a different police station.
The High Court said that the new officer must not be below the rank of Police Inspector and that the Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Pernem, must not interfere in the investigation in any manner.
“Since the acts and omissions of officers within the local police hierarchy may themselves require examination, continuance of the investigation with the same police station would not inspire confidence,” the High Court Division Bench comprising Justices Valmiki Menezes and Hiten S Venegavkar said.
The court expressed its shock over the “serious incident” of violence that occurred during a court-ordered demolition in Morjim last Friday. The court stripped the Pernem taluka police of their investigative powers in the case, citing a “serious lapse” in providing protection and “unexplained deficiencies” in the subsequent probe.
The matter was brought to the High Court’s attention by the Goa High Court Bar Association following the July 17 assault on the advocate and a petitioner at Survey No 119/3 in Morjim. The victims were present there to oversee the implementation of orders for the demolition of illegal structures identified by Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA).
The High Court said, “Especially from the noting and the records, the court is aghast that the communication has been kept pending in the office of Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Pernem from July 13, 2026, till July 17, 2026, at about 4.45 pm till the alleged incident has already taken place.”
The court said that the records reveal that the Deputy Collector and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Panaji had communicated the demolition order to the Superintendent of Police (SP), North Goa, as early as July 10. This was forwarded to the SDPO in Pernem on July 13 with clear instructions to provide adequate police presence. However, the police inspector of the Mandrem police station claimed the order only reached him at 4.45 pm on July 17, long after the assault had taken place.
The court also said that this was a “serious lapse on the part of the Office of SDPO, Pernem” and warned that “eventual action will be considered on all the officers who are responsible for this delay”.
The High Court also questioned why the civil authorities present at the site, including the Mamlatdar of Pernem, the talathi of Morjim and GCZMA officials, allowed the demolition to commence without ensuring that the directed police protection was in place.
“The failure of more than one administrative channel to communicate or act upon the order cannot be treated as a mere matter of routine correspondence,” the High Court said. It directed officials, including the Mamlatdar, to file individual affidavits, explaining their personal roles in communicating the orders and their eyewitness accounts of the violence.
The court has ordered the Member Secretary of GCZMA and the Deputy Collector of Pernem to ensure that the remaining demolitions proceed “without avoidable delay” and with “adequate police protection”.
The High Court also raised questions about why the First Information Report was not registered until 5.20 am the following day despite the victims being taken to the police station immediately after the incident. The court said, “The FIR itself was recorded in the morning at 5.20 am remains a serious concern for us to determine the intentions of the investigating officer who was expected to act promptly in the matter.”
