Goa ST reservation has become an urgent legal and administrative issue ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, with the state government examining multiple routes, including a possible approach to the Supreme Court, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Friday.
The government’s move follows the Bombay High Court’s stay on the Census Commissioner of India notifying Goa’s estimated Scheduled Tribe population. That notification is required for the finalisation of four Assembly constituencies that are to be reserved for the ST community, according to the chief minister’s statement reported by Times of India.
Sawant said the state’s legal team was studying alternative legal avenues after the court’s intervention. He said the Goa government was not a party to the case that resulted in the stay and was therefore examining what steps it could take independently.
“We have asked central govt to challenge the high court’s stay in Supreme Court. We are also exploring what Goa govt can do. We were not party to the case so we are now checking what we can do this time. Our legal team will explore all the legal ways possible to get ST reservation,” Sawant said.
The issue connects the court proceedings to a wider question of how electoral representation is finalised. Until the population notification is completed, the process for identifying and reserving the four constituencies cannot be finalised, according to the details cited in the report. The uncertainty therefore affects both the legal timetable and the administrative preparation for the next Assembly election.
Sawant also said he had discussed the matter with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday. The discussion was aimed at finding a possible solution before the 2027 elections, he said, without specifying which legal route the government would ultimately pursue or when a formal petition would be filed.
The chief minister said the government would continue exploring all available options to ensure that the ST community receives reservation in the 2027 Assembly elections. The immediate next steps are expected to depend on the legal team’s assessment and on any action taken by the central government or the state before the Bombay High Court’s stay is addressed.
