Approval given to fill 74 judge posts: Minister
Special Correspondent
Panaji: Expressing concern over rise in the number of divorce cases in the state, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday hinted at introducing pre-marriage counselling to reduce incidents of divorce.
Stating that there was no need for a family court in Goa, Sawant said pre-marriage counselling is the need of the hour. “It could help in the survival of marriages,” Sawant said, adding that many countries follow the concept of such counselling.
In view of the increasing number of divorce cases and their pendency in large numbers, the Chief Minister stressed on the need to preserve marriages and assured steps to fast-track over 2,200 pending matrimonial cases.
“In Goa, matrimonial cases are handled by the senior division of the civil judge, district court, while domestic violence, child custody and maintenance cases are handled by civil judge and the judicial magistrate at the taluka level,” Sawant said.
Replying to a query from Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Ulhas Tuenkar on the pending divorce cases, Minister for Law and Judiciary Aleixo Sequeira said the government has given its approval to fill 74 fresh posts of judges.
Sequeira informed the House that as per the High Court guidelines a family court can be set up only if a minimum of 1 million people are residing in a district which does not apply to Goa.
Tuenkar pointed out that during the period from January 2020 to June 2025, a total of 2,954 cases of divorce have been registered in the civil courts, while 2,237 of these cases are pending. He also said that dragging of such cases for 6 to 7 years is delaying remarriages and also affecting children.
The House was informed by the MLA that Goa’s divorce rate is 5%, much higher than the national average of 1%, with around 25 divorce cases filed every month.
