21-jan-2013 …A Division Bench of the Bombay High Court at Goa comprising of Justice V.M.Kanade and Justice U. V.Bakre on Monday issued notice to the Goa Government on the Public Interest Litigation filed by the Romi Lipi Action Front led by Mr. Wilson Mazarello seeking directions to the Goa Government to amend the Official Language Act to include Konkani in Roman script along with the existing Devnagari.
The Government has been directed to file a reply within four weeks. Advocate General Atamaarm Nadkarni appeared on behalf of the State while the Romi Lipi Front was represented by Adv. Aires Rodrigues.
Adv. Aires Rodrigues submitted before the Court that the Goa Language Act which restricts the Konkani language to the Devnagari script was unconstitutional, ultra vires, illegal and void.
The Romi Lipi front in its petition has submitted that the power given under Article 345 of the Constitution of India to adopt any language does not empower the Government to restrict any language to a particular script.
The Romi Lipi Action Front has stated that it was not averse to the Devnagari script but has demanded that both the scripts Roman and Devanagri be used side by side.
