A judge who made a mark in Goa’s judicial fraternity

e was one of the Goan judges holding Law Degrees from Portugal who stayed back in Goa at the time of Liberation. Born at Margao in 1928, after getting his Degree in Law from the University of Lisbon Dr Couto worked at several courts in Angola and was lauded as the best ‘Delegado’ of the entire overseas cadre. He was Additional (Acting) ‘Procurador da Republica’ and Director of the Judiciary Police in 1960, a position he held till the Liberation of Goa in 1961. In this capacity he was the ex-officio member of the Government Council and the Legislature and a legal advisor to the Governor General.

He was Senior Civil Judge at Quepem, Mapusa, Margao, Panjim and Bicholim; Additional District and Sessions Judge in 1973-1974, District and Sessions Judge of Goa, Daman and Diu in 1980, Additional Judicial Commissioner of Goa in 1981 and was the first Goan to be elevated to the Bombay High Court in 1982. He retired in 1990.

After his retirement he was appointed Chairman of the Goa Public Men’s Corruption Commission, member of the Advisory Board, N.S., The Motor Vehicles Tribunal, The Executive Council of the Goa University, Chairman of the 1st Goa Pay Commission, Chairman of the Selection Committee for the post of Chairman of the Goa State Electricity Regulatory Committee. He was also the founder Trustee of the International Centre of Goa.

Dr Gustavo Felipe Couto, as is well known, in his judicial functions had to deal with the never ending conflict between the Indian and Portuguese laws. In this and other areas, the learned Judge left his mark for several key decisions on fundamental points going right to the depths of jurisprudence.

He passed a number of landmark judgments on Mundkar Act, Rent Act; Civil Code; Civil Procedure Code; Land Revenue Code; Code of Comunidades; as also on C.P.C.; Evidence Act; Constitution; General Clauses Act; Stamp Act; Companies Act and Land Acquisition Act.

Besides his jurisprudence laid down by him, his towering personality left its permanent impact on the legal and judicial fraternity in Goa.