The High Court, on Saturday, directed the respondent State authorities to strictly prohibit the use of music on loudspeakers and sound amplifiers from midnight on November 7 until 6:00 a.m. on November 8, following an urgent vacation-bench hearing over noise-pollution concerns.

The High Court passed the interim order in a petition filed by Jose Carlos Lobo and Antonio JB Lobo against the State of Goa and seven other respondents. The petition was moved urgently during the court vacation in view of Narkasur-related events and festivities scheduled to take place overnight from November 7 to November 8.

The petitioners contended that, despite complaints lodged by them and other citizens during the 2025 festive season, the authorities had failed to take any action. Placing statistics of those complaints on record, the petitioners submitted that the authorities’ failure to enforce the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000—despite repeated interpretations by the Supreme Court and the High Court’s Principal Bench—violated their constitutional rights and caused severe adverse effects on both humans and the environment.

The petitioners sought enforcement of the 2000 Rules, the Supreme Court’s ruling, and a recent order dated October 15, 2026, passed by the Principal Bench of the Bombay High Court in a suo motu public interest litigation concerning public nuisance caused by the unregulated use of amplified music systems and firecrackers on public streets during festivals.

The Goa government submitted that, without entering into the larger issues at this stage, it and the State authorities would implement the Noise Pollution Rules and the October 15 judgment as an interim measure for the overnight event. Specifically, the Goa government assured the Court that no music on loudspeakers or sound amplifiers would be permitted from midnight on November 7 until 6:00 a.m. on November 8.

Taking the Goa government’s statement on record, the High Court directed the Superintendents of Police and the Collectors of both North Goa and South Goa to ensure strict implementation of the undertaking. In a stern warning against non-compliance, the Court further ordered that, if any violation is noticed by the authorities, they must not only initiate prompt action but also immediately communicate the names of the violators to the High Court Registry.

The matter has been posted for further directions on November 19, 2026.