After HC Flags Kala Akademi Lapses; Artists Demand Independent Inquiry Into Ravindra Bhavan

Margao : After the Hon’ble High Court of Bombay at Goa, on 8th September 2025, passed an interim order flagging serious lapses in the Kala Academy works and holding the government liable for bypassing the tender process, Artiste and Former Member of the State Cultural Development Committee, Vishal Pai Cacode, has demanded an independent inquiry into the irregular repair works commenced at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao.
In a letter addressed to the Director of Art & Culture on 11th September 2025, Vishal Pai Cacode questioned who authorised the Chairman of Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, to permit commencement of repair works without work orders and expenditure sanction,  a fact admitted publicly by Chairman Rajendra Talak himself on camera during the visit of the PWD Minister, Digambar Kamat, to Ravindra Bhavan on 9th September 2025.

In a letter addressed to the Director of Art & Culture on 11th September 2025, Vishal Pai Cacode questioned who authorised the Chairman of Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, to permit commencement of repair works without work orders and expenditure sanction,  a fact admitted publicly by Chairman Rajendra Talak himself on camera during the visit of the PWD Minister, Digambar Kamat, to Ravindra Bhavan on 9th September 2025.

In his letter, Vishal Pai Cacode asked who will be held responsible and accountable if lapses, irregularities, or loss and damage to items such as chairs, lights, sound equipment, art effects, or any financial mismanagement are later discovered in works carried out without following due process. Public accountability, he stressed, must be clearly fixed.

He further sought clarity on whether the Department of Art and Culture or Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, had received any written communication from the Public Works Department (PWD) regarding the appointment of contractors and permission to commence the said works. He pointed out that the absence of such documentation raises serious concerns of transparency and legality.

Vishal Pai Cacode said that permitting works at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, to commence without expenditure sanctions and work orders reflects a brazen disregard for established procedures. Liability must be placed on those responsible for these lapses. He also cautioned Government Officials from the PWD, the Department of Art and Culture, and Ravindra Bhavan to take note of the High Court observations and act strictly as per rules, without falling prey to political pressures.

In light of the Hon’ble High Court’s interim order on Kala Academy, the Government must immediately order an independent inquiry into the Ravindra Bhavan works and restore transparency, due process, and good governance in Goa’s cultural institutions, so that public trust is not eroded further, Vishal Pai Cacode urged.