the goan I network
MAPUSA
Law Minister Nilesh Cabral threw his hands up and categorically told the Goa Legislative Assembly that he cannot stop someone from approaching the courts to register their birth in Goa as the process comes under the purview of the Central act.
But he said he has brought a bill to amend the Goa Change of Name and Surname Act 1990 in the current session, which puts conditions and penalties against those who try to circumvent the law while changing their names or surnames in the State.
“I can’t intervene in the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, which is a Central act. I may be the law minister of the State but that does not mean that I am the law minister of the Centre,” Cabral said.
The Law Minister was responding to Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco who raised the issue of misuse of facilities by migrants while changing their names and surnames in Goa.
Cabral said the government has given more teeth to the law by bringing the amendment to the Goa Change of Name and Surname Act 1990 so that nobody can misuse the system.
“We are taking precautions. Now, now one will get away by just inserting an advert in the newspaper. The person will have to go through the procedure which is modified in the Act. If anyone publishes such adverts then cognizable offence can be registered and the person can be imprisoned,” he said.
A belligerent Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao said if a 74-year-old decides to register his name in Goa then it was a very serious matter and the government should take steps to dissuade such activities in the State.
“If some Yallappa or Nelappa who is 74-year-old decides to change his name in Goa then government has to look at it as a serious issue. Those migrants, who are born here and desire to change their names is a different matter. There are so many robberies happening in Goa. Why do you think it is happening? This is serious. If they want to change their name let them go to their State and change it,” Alemao said.
Earlier, while raising the issue at the Question Hour, Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco brought to the attention of the House how the migrants were using a lacuna in the law to register their births in the State.
Disclosing that for three years (from 2016 to 2019) 4,197 cases have been registered, Lourenco said in one case there was a 74-year-old man who has registered his birth.
“Why are they doing it? They are using the courts. They are getting their birth registered in the sub-registrar by a court order. The government should intervene,” he said.
Congress MLA Ravi Naik said there were cases where people have usurped properties in the State by changing names as per form Form I and XIV and urged the government to take steps to stop such practice in the State.
