PANJIM: In a massive relief for Siolim-based Five Pillars Church pastor Dominic D’Souza and his wife Joan Mascarenhas e D’Souza, the High Court of Bombay at Goa on Wednesday set aside the externment orders passed against the duo.
Both had filed individual writ petitions praying to quash and set aside externment orders against them.
Pastor Domnic and his wife were externed from the jurisdiction of North Goa for six months with immediate effect, by the North Goa Collector, through an order passed on March 14, 2024, under the provisions of the Goa Maintenance of Public Order and Safety Act, 1988.
They had challenged their externment order before the appellate authority - Chief Secretary. But as the latter delayed the disposal of their appeals, the couple approached the High Court seeking direction to the appellate authority to dispose of appeals within the stipulated time.
The Court had earlier directed the appellate authority to dispose of their appeals as expeditiously as possible and in any case, latest by April 26.
But the appellate authority dismissed their appeals following which the couple once again approached the High Court praying for quashing of the externment order, claiming that there was no live link between the offence and the reason for their externment.
A battery of lawyers headed by Senior Advocate Subodh Kantak, besides Adv Kapil Kerkar, appeared for the couple.
The counsel for petitioners later told reporters that as many as nine FIRs were registered against Dominic and six against Joan and on this basis, the externment proceedings had been initiated.
Adv Kerkar said, “The division bench has now given the order in our favour saying that there was no live link and all the FIRs, which were considered, were stale. They were registered long back and there was no live link between the FIRs and the need for the externment process.”