Good news for OCI card holders as govt moves to amend civil code

Panaji: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday assured the state legislative assembly that the government will amend the Uniform Civil Code, making provision for the Goans holding Overseas Citizens of India card to register civil marriage in the state, especially those who have problem in staying in Goa for one month, which is the mandatory stay under the law for such registration.

He also said the amendment will also facilitate those people from outside the state, who want to register their marriages in Goa.

The amendment will bring down the mandatory stay period from one month to 15 days.

Responding to a zero hour mention by Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Antonio Fernandes, Sawant said that many people want to register their marriages in Goa as the state is governed by the Uniform Civil Code.

“We will make a provision through amendment, so that they will be allowed to do so,” he noted.

Earlier, Fernandes brought to the notice of the House that Article 190 of the code makes at least one-month stay in Goa compulsory for Goans with OCI cards for registering their marriage here.

“Many of the Goans working in foreign countries are able to avail only 21-day leave, and hence need to be given some relaxation in this legislation,” he mentioned.

Law Minister Nilesh Cabral said the OCI card holders can make a request to the court to waive the one-month period, after which the court normally directs the marriage registering authority to absolve this period.