Panaji, Aug 18 (IANS): Some activists with "highly questionable" motives are "blackmailing and witch-hunting" people in high places and are levelling false allegations against a high court judge, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told the Goa legislative assembly Monday.

Parrikar was speaking in response to a Calling Attention Motion moved by Congress MLA Mauvin Godinho.

"It is also observed that some of the activists whose antecedents and motives are highly questionable are blackmailing and witch-hunting, by filing false cases against persons occupying high positions, merely to embarrass them or to blackmail them," Parrikar said, adding that the government had taken a "serious note" of this and that appropriate corrective measures in this regard were being taken.

On July 28, Parrikar had said that the state government was mulling a special law to crack down on 'rogue' whistleblowers and NGOs.

Parrikar now claims that the high court too was within the ambit of such 'miscreants'.

"The most disturbing thing is that a judge of the high court is also not spared by some of these activists in making false allegations," Parrikar told the house.

"While my government wholeheartedly endorses any person, including activists, to bring out a genuine cause which will subserve public interest but at the same time blackmailing and witch-hunting cannot be tolerated," the chief minister said.