Team Goemkarponn
Panaji:Rising divorce cases in Goa sparked a serious discussion in the Assembly on Friday with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant acknowledging the worrying trend and reviving the proposal for pre-marriage counselling to prevent breakdowns in marriages.
Expressing concern, Sawant said the focus should be on ensuring marriages do not end in separation. He regretted that the government’s earlier proposal for mandatory pre-marital counselling was opposed, and assured that the matter would be revisited. “We will bring back the counselling initiative. The aim is to reduce the number of divorces, not just deal with them after they happen,” he stated.
The Chief Minister also informed the House that steps would be taken to expedite the over 2,200 pending matrimonial cases in the state.
Supporting the idea, MLA Nilesh Cabral proposed that pre-marriage counselling should be made mandatory before signing marriage certificates. He argued that such a measure could help reduce the burden on the judiciary and promote healthier marital relationships.
MLA Ulhas Tuenkar, meanwhile, demanded the setting up of a dedicated family court to deal with matrimonial cases more efficiently. However, CM Sawant dismissed the need for a separate family court, reiterating that the priority should be reducing divorces through preventive steps like counselling.
Law Minister Aleixo Sequeira clarified that, as per High Court guidelines, a family court can only be established in districts with a population of at least one million — a benchmark Goa does not meet. He added that the government has sanctioned 74 new judge posts, and once appointments are made, the deployment of judges will be considered to address pendency in courts, including matrimonial cases.
The discussion concluded with a broad consensus on the need for preventive interventions, faster case resolution, and systemic reforms to address the growing concerns around family disputes in Goa.
