The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Wednesday directed that no new offshore casino vessel can enter or operate in the Mandovi River without prior permission of the court.
The Division Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar passed the direction while hearing a petition challenging the induction of Delta Corp’s new offshore casino vessel into Goa waters.
“The vessel does not possess a certificate of survey as of today. In view of this, we deem it appropriate that it shall not sail in the River Mandovi without first obtaining the requisite certificates and permissions, and in any event, not without the prior permission of this court,” the Bench observed.
The court further stated that if the Goa government intends to permit casino operations on the new vessel, the decision must first be placed before the court before any official order is issued.
The Bench also clarified that any amendment to the existing offshore casino licence — currently linked to the 70-passenger MV Royale Floatel — cannot be transferred or modified in favour of the new vessel without prior leave of the court.
The matter has now been posted for further hearing on July 6 at 2.30 pm.
During the proceedings, Advocate General Devidas Pangam argued that the vessel was seaworthy and capable of carrying out trade operations. However, the Bench questioned the basis of the claim and pointed out that the operators themselves had brought the vessel to Goa as “dead cargo”.
“Captain of Ports is defending this?” the court asked during the hearing.
When Pangam informed the court that the position was based on a technical report, the judges further questioned whether the mandatory certification process had actually been completed.
“Have you obtained the certificate?” the Bench asked while noting that the certificate of survey had not yet been issued.
Pangam responded that the government would examine whether the certificate should be granted and that the court could issue suitable directions if required. He also referred to a report prepared by a Central government-registered classification society, which stated that the vessel had been constructed according to prescribed norms and that sea trials had already been completed.
“I have nothing to say if restraints are imposed by this Court,” Pangam submitted.
The petitioner organisation, Enough is Enough, informed the court that the licence of the currently operating casino vessel is due to expire in July.
Meanwhile, counsel appearing for the casino operator assured the court that the new vessel would not be moved into the Mandovi River before the next hearing date. The company also informed the Bench that the vessel is presently berthed at the Mormugao Port Authority.
Earlier in the day, the 112-metre Deltin casino vessel arrived in Goa and docked at Berth No. 4 of the Mormugao Port. The vessel is expected to remain there for nearly a month while repair work, documentation formalities and sea clearance procedures are completed.
The vessel, which has a reported capacity of nearly 2,000 passengers, is expected to eventually replace Deltin’s Kings Casino currently operating in the Mandovi River.
According to the vessel’s shipping agent, certification procedures and sea trials are expected to be completed within a month.
Amid the controversy surrounding the arrival of the vessel, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant reiterated that the government was not introducing a “new casino” in the state.
“I will make it clear once again that we will not bring a new casino,” Sawant said while referring to the mega casino vessel currently docked at Mormugao Port.
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