PANAJI
An amendment to the law approved by the State Cabinet and which could be given effect via the Ordinance route soon, is expected to make the procedure for change in surnames more stringent with powers to approve applications being vested with the two district judges.
The law also permits only those whose ancestors at least up to two generations -- parent or grand-parent -- are born in Goa to apply for surname change.
Law Minister Nilesh Cabral told the media that the amendment was cleared on Thursday by the Cabinet and an ordinance will be issued shortly to begin implementing the change.
Cabral said, henceforth, only those whose parents or grandparents are born in Goa will be eligible to apply for change in surname in Goa and the powers to approve such pleas will be vested with District and Sessions Judge.
The trend of changing surnames had unusually increased over the last few years and there was strong suspicion that it was related to usurping land and properties belonging to families who have migrated abroad.
Some caste groups which enjoy quotas in education and recruitment, had also complained that migrants were changing their surnames to those similar to theirs and illegally cornering a share of the quotas. The amendment hopes to halt this trend.
