SC stays demolition process of Curlies restaurant in Goa initiated by state govt

New Delhi, Sep 09: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the demolition of Curlies restaurant in Goa subject to the condition that no commercial activities will take place there until further orders.

The apex court made it clear that if there are unauthorized constructions in land other than the specified survey number, they can certainly be demolished.

The demolition work had started today morning at the iconic restaurant located on Goa's famous Anjuna beach, was in news recently after the death of Haryana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sonali Phogat. Its owner Edwin Nunes was among four persons arrested in the Phogat death case and he was later granted bail.

The owners of the restaurant approached the Court challenging the demolition action started by the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) over violations of the CRZ regulations.

While the demolition action was underway, the owners appealed to the Supreme Court. Senior Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi made an urgent mention of the matter The bench issued notice to the Goa Coastal Management Authority and other respondents.

The court asked the GCZMA to file a response before Wednesday in connection with the matter along with pictures and reports. "If there be unauthorised construction in lands other than the above survey number, the demolition can certainly go on," the court said.

The action against the restaurant was initiated after its owner failed to get any respite from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against the 2016 demolition order of Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA).

The case was heard on September 6 by the NGT bench chaired by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel. The bench had upheld the order of GCZMA disposing of the petition filed by the restaurant management.

On Thursday, the district administration had issued a notice asking its demolition squad to raze the structure on Friday. Deputy collector of Mapusa sub division Gurudas S T Desai had issued the notice. According to police, Phogat, a former TikTok star and contestant on the reality show 'Bigg Boss', was allegedly drugged at the restaurant before her death on August 23.