Panaji:
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, taking on the Supreme Court, has said it was not adhering to the judicial doctrine of "justice delayed is justice denied" when it came to Goa.
"How can the Supreme Court stop a major activity for six months, when justice delayed is justice denied," Mr Parrikar asked, while speaking to a gathering of top industrialists at a function on Saturday to mark the annual day of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
"I will put it across to them (Supreme Court) bluntly if I get a chance. I will say you are living in ivory towers," Mr Parrikar said.
Mining in Goa has been banned by the Supreme Court since October last year.
The Supreme Court is hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on illegal mining filed by noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan along with local green NGOs. The petition followed closely on the heels of a finding of a judicial commission, led by Justice M.B. Shah, which exposed a Rs.35,000 crore illegal mining scam in Goa.
Responding to the PIL, the Goa government last month told the Supreme Court through an affidavit that the findings of the Shah Commission and the Supreme Court's empowered committee were incorrect.
The affidavit also requested the prompt resumption of mining in Goa, claiming that the state's economy was floundering because of the ban on mining.