NEWS UPDATES

Deepak Surlakar, father of late Mandar Surlakar, has filed Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) before the Supreme Court challenging the High Court's judgment ordering the premature release of convicts Rohan Dhungat, Ryan Pinto and Shankar Tiwari. In a separate SLP, Surlakar has challenged the decision of the Goa State Sentence Review Board recommending the premature release of the three convicts. The Supreme Court has issued notices to all the respondents in all four SLPs • Crime Branch has arrested Tarak M. Arolkar in connection with an alleged property fraud involving Rs 40 lakh. Police allege Arolkar falsely represented himself as the owner of a property at Assagao and induced the complainant to pay the amount for execution of a Sale Deed, which was allegedly never executed. • Mapusa Police have solved the blind accident case at Moira that resulted in the death of Moira resident Antonio Jonnie Quadros. Police have detained the accused driver allegedly involved in the accident. • Amit Patkar rejects Girish Chodankar’s allegations over his alleged failure to attend the meeting, saying he never received any message from M.K. Shaikh; Patkar said the circulated screenshot shows only a single tick, indicating the message was not delivered to his phone. He questioned why he was not contacted directly if his presence was important and accused Chodankar of making public allegations without verifying the facts • ABVP sweeps the election at Goa Multifaculty College, Dharbandora. The winning panel expressed gratitude to youth leader Sanket Arsekar for his guidance, support and mentorship throughout the election. • GHRDC security guard Asha Chodankar has been taken into custody by Colvale Police after allegedly being caught smuggling ganja and charas into Colvale Jail. Three mobile phones and three ATM cards were also seized from her possession. • Pernem Congress Block President Krishna Naik joins the BJP in the presence of Pernem MLA Pravin Arlekar, giving the Congress a setback in the constituency. • Congress has lodged complaints against BJYM workers over their protest during Mallikarjun Kharge’s convoy arrival at Dabolim Airport. Amit Palekar questioned the absence of an FIR, alleging interference with Kharge’s Z+ security arrangements, and sought an explanation from Goa Police. • Curchorem Butterfly Garden Awaits Forest Department Support to Resume Work Caption: Proposed under the Goa Biodiversity Project, the Curchorem butterfly garden has been stalled for months due to municipal fund shortages. Curchorem Municipal Chief Officer Milind Velip stated that the municipality is ready to move forward in coordination with the Forest Department, requesting their support for retaining wall and lighting work. Once these key tasks are completed, the municipality plans to float tenders, plant native Goan trees before Ganesh Chaturthi, and open the garden for public use. #Goa #Curchorem #Biodiversity #ButterflyGarden #GoaNews #ForestDepartment #LocalDevelopment #UrbanGreenery #GoaForests #GaneshChaturthi Deepak Surlakar, father of late Mandar Surlakar, has filed Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) before the Supreme Court challenging the High Court's judgment ordering the premature release of convicts Rohan Dhungat, Ryan Pinto and Shankar Tiwari. In a separate SLP, Surlakar has challenged the decision of the Goa State Sentence Review Board recommending the premature release of the three convicts. The Supreme Court has issued notices to all the respondents in all four SLPs • Crime Branch has arrested Tarak M. Arolkar in connection with an alleged property fraud involving Rs 40 lakh. Police allege Arolkar falsely represented himself as the owner of a property at Assagao and induced the complainant to pay the amount for execution of a Sale Deed, which was allegedly never executed. • Mapusa Police have solved the blind accident case at Moira that resulted in the death of Moira resident Antonio Jonnie Quadros. Police have detained the accused driver allegedly involved in the accident. • Amit Patkar rejects Girish Chodankar’s allegations over his alleged failure to attend the meeting, saying he never received any message from M.K. Shaikh; Patkar said the circulated screenshot shows only a single tick, indicating the message was not delivered to his phone. He questioned why he was not contacted directly if his presence was important and accused Chodankar of making public allegations without verifying the facts • ABVP sweeps the election at Goa Multifaculty College, Dharbandora. The winning panel expressed gratitude to youth leader Sanket Arsekar for his guidance, support and mentorship throughout the election. • GHRDC security guard Asha Chodankar has been taken into custody by Colvale Police after allegedly being caught smuggling ganja and charas into Colvale Jail. Three mobile phones and three ATM cards were also seized from her possession. • Pernem Congress Block President Krishna Naik joins the BJP in the presence of Pernem MLA Pravin Arlekar, giving the Congress a setback in the constituency. • Congress has lodged complaints against BJYM workers over their protest during Mallikarjun Kharge’s convoy arrival at Dabolim Airport. Amit Palekar questioned the absence of an FIR, alleging interference with Kharge’s Z+ security arrangements, and sought an explanation from Goa Police. • Curchorem Butterfly Garden Awaits Forest Department Support to Resume Work Caption: Proposed under the Goa Biodiversity Project, the Curchorem butterfly garden has been stalled for months due to municipal fund shortages. Curchorem Municipal Chief Officer Milind Velip stated that the municipality is ready to move forward in coordination with the Forest Department, requesting their support for retaining wall and lighting work. Once these key tasks are completed, the municipality plans to float tenders, plant native Goan trees before Ganesh Chaturthi, and open the garden for public use. #Goa #Curchorem #Biodiversity #ButterflyGarden #GoaNews #ForestDepartment #LocalDevelopment #UrbanGreenery #GoaForests #GaneshChaturthi

LEGAL

High Court Pulls Up Goa Archaeology Dept Over Defaced Protected Monuments

The High Court has directed the Directorate of Archives and Archaeology to submit a comprehensive list of all declared ancient monuments in

19th Aug 2026 • 1 hour ago • 46 views

High Court Pulls Up Goa Archaeology Dept Over Defaced Protected Monuments

The High Court has directed the Directorate of Archives and Archaeology to submit a comprehensive list of all declared ancient monuments in the State, together with their boundary plans. The High Court raised questions about how the Directorate granted a No-Objection Certificate on 27 September 2018 to the Goa Tourism Development Corporation for construction of a retaining wall at the ancient protected Chandreshwar Bhootnath Temple at Parvat Paroda.

After examining photographic evidence on record, the High Court observed that the site—an ancient monument declared protected under the Goa Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1978—has been “totally defaced.”

Expressing concern that similar actions may have affected other protected heritage structures in Goa, the High Court directed the Director of Archives and Archaeology to file, within two weeks, a complete list of all ancient monuments declared under the Act and detailed plans demarcating the perimeter and boundaries of each site currently under the Directorate’s custody. The matter is listed for further hearing on 1 September.

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Birch Accused Bail Cancellation: HC Scathing On Lower Court's Non Application Of Mind

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Birch Accused Bail Cancellation: HC Scathing On Lower Court's Non Application Of Mind

The High Court on Tuesday cancelled the bail granted to accused Saurabh Luthra, Gaurav Luthra and Ajay Gupta in both the Birch nightclub fir

Goa High Court Directs CCP to Submit Plan for Long-Pending Stray Dog Shelter

LEGAL

Goa High Court Directs CCP to Submit Plan for Long-Pending Stray Dog Shelter

In a petition concerning the management of stray dogs in Goa, the High Court has directed the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) to sub