PONDA: Despite the State government passing a law to ban the change in surname, still cases of migrant filing applications for Naik surname is cropping up.
On Saturday, a group, Aggressive Goans filed a complaint with the Panjim Chief Registrar and Mapusa Sub-Registrar Office objecting to the change in surname to Naik by one person having surname Rathod.
AG President Santosh Tari filed the objections opposing to change in name application by person having surname Rathod to Naik. The objection is filed referring to an advertisement published in an English daily on June 8, with reference to the application for change of name by one Socorro resident Ramesh Vasu Rathod for changing his name to Ramesh Vasu Naik.
“The non-Goan who is settled in Goa, has an intention to obtain benefits available for OBC Naik community in the State,” the group alleged.
In August 2019, the State government has amended the Goa Name and Surname Change Act after introducing a Bill in the Assembly as “The Goa Change of Name and Surname (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and upon its approval and assented by the Governor dated September 17, 2019, it was published in the Official Gazette dated September 23, 2019 for general information to public wherein the Amendment of Section 3 says any person desirous of changing his name or surname or both in any given circumstances such as 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 of distasteful name or surname, name or surname erroneously written.
The Amendment introduced Section 3A i.e 3A Penalty — (1) 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.
President Tari stated that as per recent amendment in “The Goa Change of Name and Surname Act 1990, the publication of notice from “Rathod to Naik”, itself is an offence without following correct procedure as per Section 3 of the “The Goa Change of Name and Surname (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
Tari also stated that even as per Section 15 of Central Act i.e. the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, only correction or cancellation of entry in the register of births and deaths is allowed, which is erroneous in form or substance, or has been fraudulently or improperly made and not the entire change of surname or replacement of surname.
