The Archdiocese of Goa, is exempt from the state’s mandate requiring government authorization for staff appointments
Newsroom (10/10/2025, Gaudium Press )The Bombay High Court has reaffirmed the constitutional rights of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman to independently manage its 138 primary and higher secondary schools, striking down a 2024 state directive that sought to impose government oversight on staff appointments in Church-run institutions.
In a ruling delivered on October 3 and publicized on October 8, a two-judge bench declared that the Diocesan Society of Education (DSE), representing the Archdiocese, is exempt from the state’s mandate requiring government authorization for staff appointments. The court emphasized that, as a linguistic minority, the DSE retains the right to “manage and administer” its schools under India’s Constitution, provided it upholds educational quality standards.
The Archdiocese challenged a directive from Goa’s Directorate of Education, which had sought to enforce government approval for staffing decisions and limit the DSE’s authority over disciplinary actions and administrative control. The court ruled that such regulations cannot override the fundamental autonomy granted to minority institutions, though they remain subject to reasonable measures to ensure educational standards.
Father Jesus Rodrigues, DSE secretary, expressed relief at the verdict. “It is a great relief for us that our fundamental right to manage and administer our schools has been upheld,” he told UCA News on October 9.
Catholic lawyer J. E. Coelho Pereira, who represented the DSE, hailed the decision as a reinforcement of prior Supreme Court rulings protecting minority rights. “This is a significant order upholding the rights of Christian minorities to manage their schools,” Pereira told UCA News, criticizing the state’s attempt to impose rules applicable to non-minority institutions.
State prosecutor Devidas Pangam argued that the education rules aimed to ensure compliance with statutory requirements without infringing on minority rights. However, the court clarified that while the state can regulate qualifications and standards, it cannot erode the core administrative autonomy of minority institutions.
The Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, overseeing schools in a region shaped by its history as a former Portuguese colony, views the ruling as a safeguard for its educational mission and a precedent for minority rights nationwide.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News
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