Those changing name without following process shall be imprisoned

Panaji: Admitting that the government has no control over migrants moving to the court for change in their names under the Central Registration of Births and Deaths Act, Minister for Law Nilesh Cabral on Friday informed the state legislative assembly that The Goa Change of Name and Surname (Amendment) Bill, 2019 will solve to a large extent, the problem as regards “misuse of facilities by migrants by changing their names and surnames”.

Cabral, responding to this issue raised by Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, said that the amendment to the legislation will have many subsections substituted.

“They include, any person desirous of changing his name or surname or both in the circumstances namely wrong or improper entry of name or surname, correction of spelling in the name or surname, or to make correct version of name or surname, unpleasant or distasteful name or surname, name or surname erroneously written, shall apply to the registrar of respective jurisdiction in which his birth is recorded in the prescribed form along with an affidavit for correction of name or surname or both mentioning therein details like name, date of birth, parents name, name of spouse, residential address etc, and submit documents in which version of existing name or surname is mentioned, and furthermore, provided that if such a  person is a minor, the application shall be made by his guardian,” he added.

It was also informed that on receipt of the application, the Registrar shall publish the notice thereof by affixing it in the notice board of his office and publish the relevant notice in the Official Gazette and also in two local dailies/ newspapers, one English and other in vernacular language, having wide circulation in the state of Goa, calling for objections, if any, on the application within thirty days from the date of the notice.

The insertion of new section 3A in the amended legislation stated that whoever changes his name or surname or both or publishes any notice/ advertisement for such change without following the procedure as laid down in Section 3 or procedure as laid down under any other law, shall be punished with imprisonment, which shall not be less than seven days, but not exceed three months.

Speaking in the House, the Curtorim MLA said that he has around 4,197 cases of name/ surname/ name and surname changes, and the government should inquire into the same. He also criticised the lacklustre attitude of the District Collectors and the police in carrying out related investigation.

The Curtorim legislator further said that a 74-year-old man has recently registered his birth in Goa and could misuse the same. “Find out the purpose of these people behind changing their names,” he appealed to the government.

Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao linked the migrant people who are getting their names changed in Goa to the increase in burglaries in the state.

Cabral said that the government has given teeth to the particular legislation by introducing new sections and penalties in it.