Defending Manohar Parrikar’s continuance as the Chief Minister of Goa, the state government on Wednesday told Bombay High Court that mere diagnosis of cancer does not mean that the CM was not fit enough to handle the state administration.
Citing Steve Jobs, the state government argued that the Apple co-founder was also diagnosed with cancer and pointed out that much of his accomplishments came after his diagnosis.
Arguing before a division bench of Justices R M Borde and Prithviraj Chavan, Goa’s Advocate General Dattaprasad Lawande said that the chief minister has been regularly holding meetings with his cabinet colleagues are senior officials and monitoring the administration.
"Steve Jobs was diagnosed with the same pancreatic cancer. In fact, much of his accomplishments came after his diagnosis," he said.
"Just the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is not enough to ask the chief minister to resign from office," he added.
He argued that the petition seeking bulletin of the chief minister's health was not in good faith as it intends to affect his fundamental rights and the right to his privacy.
Petitioner Trajano D'Mello in his petition filed earlier this month had sought directions to state Chief Secretary Dharmendra Sharma to evaluate the health condition of Parrikar by forming a panel of expert doctors and release the report in public domain.
Steve Jobs died in 2011 after battling pancreatic cancer.
The state also informed the high court that the chief minister has been regularly holding meetings with his cabinet colleagues and senior officials and monitoring the administration.
Parrikar has been ailing since mid-February. He has been treated at different hospitals including those in Goa, Mumbai and the US. He is currently undergoing treatment at his residence.
(With PTI inputs)
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