Soon after his mother's death at a young age, Fernandes moved to Bombay (present-day Mumbai) and resided in a community apartment known as Koud.

Fernandes was influenced by his elder cousin, Amarante D'costa, and motivational speeches[8] of Mahatma Gandhi to take part in liberating Goa from the colonial rule.

It was during the Christmas holidays wherein Fernandes was held responsible for the conspiracy to sabotage the reception which was organized for the Portuguese Governor General, Fernando de Quintanilha e Mendonça Dias, at the Indo-Portuguese institute in Dhobitalao, Bombay.

Around the 1950s, after serving his sentence, Fernandes and other freedom fighters of the Azad Gomantak Dal were headed in a vehicle to one of the Portuguese police outposts[b] with loaded ammunition to initiate an attack for an attempt to free Salsette Island.

[13] Soon after the incident at the police outpost, Jawaharlal Nehru intervened and issued a warning to the Portuguese government, which was later carried by newspapers in Goa and Bombay, following this Fernandes survived and was saved by medical treatment.

On 17 June 1962, Fernandes made a public announcement at Veliapura (present-day Velim) compound in presence of Gopala Handoo, representative of India Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his father, Avelino, that he aims to provide democracy to his people.

Soon after his demands were met, Fernandes terminated his hunger strike and engaged in a meeting with Nehru to hold the first Goa, Daman, and Diu elections.

He was successful in introducing democracy for Goans by objecting then Lt. governor, Kunhiraman Palat Candeth's nomination of 29 members consultative council for the administration of Goa, Daman, and Diu territory, during his three days satyagraha by indefinite hunger strike in Margao.

[3] After his announcement about democracy to Goans, the locals of Ambelim village approached Fernandes to contest as their representative in the Goa, Daman, and Diu election.

Fernandes also took part along with other political leaders in the debate about "Goa's merger into neighbouring states, Maharashtra and Mysore or to remain as a separate territory".

He then contested in the 1972 Goa, Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly election from the same constituency on the UGS ticket and emerged victorious by defeating MGP candidate, A. J. Guilman Fernandes by a margin of 2,204 votes.

On 12 January 2007, Fernandes suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at his estate in New York City, after an ice skating trip with his grandson in Manhattan.

[18][19] On 15 Jan 2007, all 40 legislature of the Goa Legislative Assembly met at a session to observe a state mourning through a motion that was introduced on the floor of the house by then Cabinet Minister, Filipe Nery Rodrigues.

In December 2007, a competing group of Haliyal hereditary workers made a visit to the "Velliapura site" in Velim, Goa, which is associated with Fernandes.