Digital Goa, July 25 – Goa government has ruled out the setting up of additional family courts in the state citing population criteria, but will appoint 74 more judges to address the growing backlog of matrimonial and domestic cases, CM Pramod Sawant informed the house today. Responding to a question raised by MLA Ulhas Tuemkar, CM said that Goa currently has 33 courts and matrimonial disputes are being adjudicated by senior division civil judges in district courts, while domestic violence and child custody matters are handled by civil judges and judicial magistrates at the taluka level. In the last three-and-a-half years—from January 2022 to June 2025—2,954 marriage- and divorce-related petitions were filed in civil courts. Moreover, 2,237 cases related to child custody, domestic violence, and maintenance are pending across the state. Tuemkar also raised concerns over cases dragging on for 6–7 years, delaying remarriages and affecting children. However, Law Minister Alexio Sequeira clarified that as per guidelines, a family court can be established in any area with a population exceeding 10 lakh. Goa with a population of around 15 lakh already has one family court.
