3 min readPanajiFeb 9, 2026 08:22 AM IST
Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai has extended his support to a “People’s Charter”, aimed at protecting “the culture, identity and ethos” of Goa, which was drafted by former Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Ferdino Rebello.
Last month, Justice Rebello, who is also a former Goa MLA, had given a clarion call for a “People’s movement” to protect Goa’s hills, lakes, rivers and villages. At a January 6 gathering in Panaji, in which members of civil society, NGOs, and activists took part, the 10-point “People’s Charter” of demands was adopted to prevent “further ecological and environmental degradation of Goa”.
Among the main demands listed in the charter was for the passing of an ordinance or Bill to “repeal all amendments to the Town and Country Planning Act [Sections 17(2) and 39(A)] and any other legislations which permit change of zoning, change of user and/or increase in FAR in those cases where the roads have lesser width, than what is required under the law.” The charter also demanded that an ordinance be passed or a Bill be introduced to amend the Land Revenue Code, to prevent the sale of land to non-agriculturists and non-residents.
It further said that all development and cutting of hills should be stopped, and that development in villages, towns and cities should not be allowed without the government carrying out a survey of the “carrying capacity” in the villages. It demanded that all casinos on the Mandovi river be removed.
In a letter to Justice Rebello dated February 5, former CJI Gavai conveyed his “wholehearted support for ‘Goenche Porjechi Magnim — the Non Negotiable Charter’.”
The former CJI said the charter “reflects not merely a set of demands, but a principled constitutional vision, which is firmly anchored in the rule of law, environmental jurisprudence, and the idea of the State, as a trustee of natural and public resources.”
“Having myself delivered many judgments on environmental law, I find the Charter’s invocation of well-settled principles of environmental and constitutional law as quite compelling. These principles of sustainable development, the precautionary principle, the polluter pays principle, intergenerational equity, and the public trust doctrine are part of law of the land, repeatedly affirmed by constitutional courts,” he said in the letter.
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Former CJI Gavai said the charter is situated within the larger historical and constitutional narrative of Goa, the sacrifices of freedom fighters, the struggle for Konkani language recognition and statehood, and the right of Goans to remain stakeholders, not outsiders, in their own land. “It is a reminder that development must serve the people, preserve culture, and protect the future, rather than displace communities and degrade the environment. I sincerely hope that the constitutional authorities give the Charter the serious consideration that it deserves. I trust that your efforts will contribute meaningfully to preserving Goa’s ecological balance, cultural ethos and constitutional governance for generations to come,” he said in the letter.
