ROQUE DIAS | NT

MARGAO: Along with the  women from the majority  community,  the Catholic and Muslim women are now entitled to  change their name, middle name or surname at the time of  registration of marriage or even after marriage.

The state government  has issued a notification to this effect on June 10.

The under secretary Amir  Parab of  Department of  Law and  Judiciary  (establishment  division) has issued  the notification  by order and  in the name of  Governor of  Goa.  

“In  pursuance  of Article  43 of the Civil  Marriage  Decree, 1910 the government of  Goa hereby  notifies  that the bride irrespective of  the  religion or community may change  her name, middle  name or the surname all or any part  thereof, at the time of registration  of marriage  or even  after  marriage  and she  shall  be entitled  to use her husband’s name, until such time, the divorce is  granted or in case  widowhood, until she contracts second marriage,” the  notification states.  

This means any  woman from  the minority community who wants to  change her name or surname or both has to file an application before the  Civil  Registrar of their respective taluka and that after the due process, the Civil Registrar will  accept the change.

The office of the  Civil  Registrar  will then  issue a certificate, which  can be used for incorporating the change in all the other documents.

A source at the State Registrar  cum  Head of the Notary  Services  informed that a  doctor  G Kamat had  written to the  then chief minister  Manohar Parrikar in  2017  highlighting how the women  from  the Catholic  community were facing problem in changing their name.  He had  even  questioned the  government as to why the law is restricted to only the Hindu community.

“It was observed by this  doctor that  many a  Catholic women  used to change their name and surname directly once they got married  canonically or otherwise. Many were also found using both the surnames  –  maiden and  husband’s surname unknown of the consequences and trouble they would  face once  child is born to them. And when the child is born, the  mother’s  name (as per the marriage) comes with her maiden  name and this cannot be  changed easily.  Therefore the government carried out  the study on it  and felt that  there is a point in it,” the source informed.

The source further informed that  there were couple of  representations from the  minority  community  for such a change in last few years. 

The source further said  that “during the  pre-Liberation era – precisely in  1930, a similar representation was made  by the Hindu community and the  then  governor  general  A Pedro  Almeida had  written to the  Salcete – Sub Registrar to consider  the change of  Hindu woman’s  name with the inclusion of her husband’s name or and surname, which is still being continued.”