Who can go for name change in Goa? Guidelines laid down | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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Who can go for name change in Goa? Guidelines laid down

Hindustan Times, Panaji | ByGerard de Souza
Aug 10, 2019 01:30 AM IST

The government’s move came after an uproar in the state over several notices in newspapers in which outsiders announced they were changing their names to Goan ones.

Fears that people from outside the state were changing their names to Goan ones to presumably impersonate dead people or lay claim to inheritances, the Goa Legislative Assembly on Friday passed a law restricting people from changing their names and which prescribes jail terms of up to three months for violators.

Some members said name may have been changed to impersonate dead persons to claim their right to Portuguese citizenship that only persons born in the erstwhile Portuguese territories of Goa, Daman and Diu before 1961(LightRocket via Getty Images)
Some members said name may have been changed to impersonate dead persons to claim their right to Portuguese citizenship that only persons born in the erstwhile Portuguese territories of Goa, Daman and Diu before 1961(LightRocket via Getty Images)

The bill says that a person can change his or her name only if it is wrongly spelt in their birth certificates or has an “unpleasant or distasteful” meaning. The current law is that people can change names without having to state reasons for the same.

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According to government officials familiar with the matter, a Sonu Sharma changed his name to Francis Xavier D’Souza, a Mallapa Masmardi to Mark Mascarenhas, a Mohan Karunakar to Jimmy Lobo, a Assiz Mahamad Ali to Assiz Max Fernandes, and a Maliksab Sanadi to Mark Fernandes. The officials, who asked not to be named said these names were being changed for “underhand” reasons.

The government’s move came after an uproar in the state over several notices in newspapers in which outsiders announced they were changing their names to Goan ones.

“Whoever changes his name or surname or both or publishes any notice/advertisement for such change without following the procedure as laid down… shall be punished with imprisonment which shall not be less than seven days but not exceed three months,” a newly introduced section of the law reads.

As per the proposed change, a person wanting to change his name will have to provide reasons for the same before a magistrate. The magistrate will then publish a notice inviting objections to the name change and if no objections are received within 30 days, permission will be granted

The amendment bill was passed in the house without much discussion with all parties supporting the proposal. Some members said name may have been changed to impersonate dead persons to claim their right to Portuguese citizenship that only persons born in the erstwhile Portuguese territories of Goa, Daman and Diu before 1961 and their children can avail. However, none of the members gave any specific examples of this.

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