Panaji: The high court of Bombay at Goa on Monday confirmed a judgment of a foreign court that granted a divorce to a couple married in Goa 10 years ago. It directed the civil registrar of Salcete at Margao to cancel the registration of their marriage in the marriage registration book.
The man from Goa filed the application under provisions of the Portuguese Civil Procedure Code, seeking confirmation of the foreign judgment that granted divorce by mutual consent to him and his wife, a foreigner. Though initially there was a contest, the parties later recorded their consent.
The high court found that the judgment passed by the Kurzeme District Court in the Republic of Latvia, dissolving the marriage between the two in Jan 2023, was a reasoned order. The woman was served through email and responded that she had no objection to the petition and would attend the hearing over Zoom app.
“After going through the order of the district court at Latvia and the provisions of the Portuguese Civil Procedure Code, I do not find that there is any conflict between the judgment passed by the Latvian court and the law applicable to the parties in Goa,” stated Justice Valmiki Menezes, observing that the woman specifically gave no objection to allow the application.
“The judgment dated Jan 5, 2023, of the district court at Latvia stands confirmed, and as a consequence, the civil registrar of Salcete at Margao is hereby directed to cancel the entry of the registration of marriage between the applicant and the respondent in the marriage registration book of 2014,” the high court said.