Goa: Curlie's restaurant gets SC relief hours after being demolished
Authorities on Friday morning began demolishing the 'Curlie's' restaurant at Anjuna in North Goa before Supreme Court put a stay on it. The SC, however, asked the owner to seize operations till next hearing scheduled on September 16. Curlie's, which was linked to the death of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sonali Phogat, was being razed for violating the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.
Why does this story matter?
The death of Phogat, a former Bigg Boss contestant and content creator, shocked many people in the entertainment and political circles. She was visiting Goa with her staff and reportedly suffered a heart attack based on a preliminary report by a team of doctors. However, the police registered a murder case following the postmortem and arrested five people including the owner of Curlie's restaurant.
What did the officials say?
"The demolition squad of the district administration along with Anjuna police personnel arrived at the beach around 7:30 am to demolish the restaurant built in 'no development zone' in violation of the CRZ norms," said an official. Notably, the owner failed to obtain relief from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) from the 2016 demolition order of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA).
Watch video of the demolition here
Action taken after NGT denied restaurant management's plea
The Deputy Collector of Mapusa Sub Division, Gurudas S T Desai, issued a notice on Thursday instructing the demolition team to demolish the structure on Friday, as per NDTV. The matter was previously heard on September 6 by an NGT panel headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel. The bench upheld the GCZMA's decision to dismiss the restaurant management's petition.
Limelight back on controversial restaurant after 14 years
The alleged murder of BJP's Phoghat has brought the limelight back to 'Curlie's' restaurant after 14 years, as per reports. Phogat (42) had visited the restaurant on the night of August 22 and was declared brought dead at a private hospital the next day. Earlier, the restaurant hogged the headlines in 2008 when a British teenager Scarlett Keeling died there.
What do we know about the previous case?
Keeling's mother then claimed that her daughter went to 'Curlie's' shortly before being sexually molested and abandoned on the beach. According to the evidence on record, the British teenager was taken to Curlie's before arriving at the Lui's Shack, where she died, advocate Vikram Varma, a counsel who represented her mother, Fiona Mackeown had told PTI.
Five arrested in Phogat's alleged murder case
In Phogat's alleged murder case, Goa Police have arrested five persons, including the proprietor of 'Curlie's' restaurant, her two accomplices, and two drug peddlers. After interrogating the proprietor of Curlie's, Edwin Nunes, the police apprehended him on August 27. Police previously stated that Phogat may have died while under the influence of narcotics after two accomplices acknowledged to putting obnoxious substances in her drink.
