PANJIM: Four hundred twenty three applications for marriage cancellations were received by the State Registrar-Cum-Head of Notary Services in the State during the last 17 months.
According to information available from the State Registrar-Cum-Head of Notary Services Ashutosh Apte, 315 applications for marriage cancellation were received last year while, 108 applications were received during the first five months of the current year.
The highest number of breaking of marriages is reported in the Salcete taluka. Last year, as many as 96 couples parted ways in Salcete taluka while, in the first five months of this year too, 25 applications for marriage cancellations were received from the same taluka.
The highest 43 application for marriage cancellation were received in the beginning of the last year while, 24 application were received in January this year.
Mormugao, Bardez, Ponda and Tiswadi talukas are also reporting more number of applications for marriage cancellations while, in the remaining talukas, two to four applications are received by the office of the State Registrar-Cum-Head of Notary Service.
However, the exact reasons for marital disputes are not known since the State Registrar-Cum-Head of Notary Service are only cancelling/annulling marriages as per the court orders and after publishing it in the Official Gazette.
Apte said that after the marriage is annulled by the court, the parties get it published in the Official Gazette and then make application to the State Registrar’s office for the marriage cancellation.
“We come to know about divorce cases when they come to us with applications for cancellations. They could be instances wherein couples file divorce petitions, get separated, publish the same in the Official Gazette and do not get it cancelled in our register book..
It is only when one of the partners seek to marry again, he/she then makes an application to us for marriage cancellation and we then cancel the marriage as per the court order,” he said.
Take note of incident of divorce cases in the State, Law Minister Nilesh Cabral had stated that the government has now decided to make pre-marriage counselling mandatory for the bride and the groom before registration of the marriage. The pre-marriage will be conducted by the Goa Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (GIPARD).
