Goa Gazette, No. 2627-23, 04 September 2026

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Reg. No. RNP/GOA/32/2024-2026

RNI No. GOAENG/2002/6410

Panaji, ⁰⁴th September, ²⁰²⁶ (Bhadra ¹³, ¹⁹⁴⁸) SERIES I No. 23

PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY

SUPPLEMENT

Goa Legislature Secretariat

LA/LEGN/2026/1624 The following bill which was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa on 31st August, 2026 is hereby published for general information in pursuance of Rule-138 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Goa Legislative Assembly.

________

The Goa Advocates Protection Bill, 2026

(Bill No. 47 of 2026)

A

BILL

to provide for the prevention of offences against the advocates and damage or loss to the property of

advocates and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.

BE it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of Goa in the Seventy-seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:-

1. Short title, extent and commencement.— (1) This Act may be called the Goa Advocates Protection Act, 2026.

(2) It shall extend to the whole of the State of Goa.

(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.

2. Definitions.— (1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

(a) "advocate" shall have the same meaning as assigned to it under Clause (a) of sub-section (1) of Section 2 of the Advocates Act, 1961 (Central Act No. 25 of 1961) and who is practicing in the State of Goa;

(b) "Government" means the Government of Goa;

Suggestions are welcomed on e-mail: [email protected] 1189OFFICIAL GAZETTE — GOVT. OF GOA SERIES I No. 23 (SUPPLEMENT) 04TH SEPTEMBER, 2026 (c) "professional duties" means any act lawfully done by an advocate in the course of his professional practice;

(d) "property" means any property, movable or immovable or equipment or machinery owned by or in possession of an advocate.

(2) Words and expressions used in the Act but not defined shall have the same meaning as assigned to them in the Advocates Act, 1961 (Central Act No. 25 of 1961) and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Central Act No. 45 of 2023).

3. Prohibition of assault, grievous hurt, criminal force and criminal intimidation.— Any act of assault, grievous hurt, criminal force, criminal intimidation or harassment committed against an advocate in connection with the discharge of the professional duties of such advocate shall be an offence.

4. Protection of property of advocate.— No person shall cause damage or loss to the property of an advocate on account of, or in relation to, the discharge of his professional duties.

5. Police protection.— (1) Any advocate who is under the threat of being a victim of an offence under Section 3 and/or 4 shall be entitled to police protection for such duration which the Court deems fit, upon making an application before the Court of Sessions.

(2) Where the police protection is provided to the advocate, no police officer below the rank of the Deputy Superintendent of Police shall, withdraw, reduce or discontinue such protection, without prior permission of the Court which granted such police protection.

6. Punishment for offences.— Notwithstanding anything contained in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (Central Act No. 45 of 2023),—

(a) whoever assaults or uses criminal force against an advocate shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years and with fine which may extend to fifty- five thousand rupees;

(b) whoever voluntarily causes grievous hurt to an advocate shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years and with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees;

(c) whoever criminally intimidates or harasses an advocate shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years and with fine which may extend to twenty- five thousand rupees, and where the threat is to cause death, grievous hurt or destruction of property, such imprisonment may extend to seven years.

7. Offence to be cognizable.— Notwithstanding anything contained in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Central Act No. 46 of 2023), every offence committed under this Act shall be cognizable.

8. Compensation.— Where a Court imposes a sentence of fine or any other sentence of which fine forms a part, the Court may, when passing the judgment, order such amount of the fine recovered to be paid as compensation to the advocate.

9. Prosecution of an advocate.— (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Central Act No. 46 of 2023) or any other law for the time being in force, where a report of a cognizable offence is received against an advocate for an act done during the discharge of professional duties,—

(i) such report shall be registered only after an inquiry by a police officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police;

(ii) such inquiry shall be completed within a period of seven days.

(2) Where a case is registered under sub-section (1), intimation thereof shall be sent to the Bar Council and the concerned Advocates Association of which such advocate is a member.

10. Liability to pay damages.— (1) In addition to the punishment specified under Section 6, the offender shall be liable to pay damages for loss or damage caused to the property of an advocate and to reimburse medical expenses, as determined by the Court.

(2) Such damages shall be recovered by the court trying the case and be paid to the victim.

11. Punishment for misuse of provisions of this Act.— Whoever, being an advocate, misuses the provisions of this Act or makes a false or malicious complaint shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.

12. Act not in derogation to any other law.— The provisions of this Act shall be in addition to and not in derogation to the provisions of any other law for the time being in force.

13. Power to remove difficulties.— (1) If any difficulty arises in giving effect to any of the provisions of this Act, the Government may, by order not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, remove the difficulty:

Provided that no such order shall be made after the expiration of a period of two years from the date of commencement of this Act.

(2) Every order made under this section shall, as soon as may be after it is made, be laid before the Legislative Assembly of Goa.

14. Power to make Rules.— The Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purpose of this Act.

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

The Constitution of India envisages a justice delivery system founded upon the rule of law, access to justice, and the independence of institutions essential to the administration of justice. Advocates, as officers of the Court and integral participants in the judicial process, perform a constitutionally significant role in securing the rights guaranteed under Part III of the Constitution and in ensuring the effective enforcement of legal remedies.

In recent years, there has been an increasing incidence of violence, intimidation, harassment, false implication and damage to property directed against advocates on account of the discharge of their professional duties. Such acts have an adverse effect on the independence and fearless functioning of the legal profession and pose a serious threat to the orderly administration of justice. Interference with advocates in the lawful discharge of their duties ultimately impairs the fundamental right of litigants to legal representation and access to justice.

The Bill aims to create a balanced statutory mechanism that safeguards advocates from targeted violence and harassment, while simultaneously preventing abuse of such protection through appropriate checks and penalties.

This Bill seeks to achieve above object.

FINANCIAL MEMORANDUM

No financial implications are involved in this Bill.

MEMORANDUM REGARDING DELEGATED LEGISLATION

Clause 1(3) of the Bill empowers the Government to appoint the date for bringing into force the Act by notification in the Official Gazette.

Clause 13 of the Bill empowers the Government to issue an order for the purpose of removing any difficulty which may arise in giving effect to the provision of the Act.

Clause 14 of the Bill empowers the Government to make rules for carrying out all or any of the purposes of the Act.

These delegations are of normal character.

Porvorim, Goa. 26/08/2026.

Dr. Pramod Sawant Chief Minister/ Minister for Law and Judiciary.

Assembly Hall, Porvorim, Goa. 26/08/2026.

Smt. Namrata Ulman Secretary to the Legislative Assembly of Goa.

———♦———

LA/LEGN/2026/1625 The following bill which was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa on 31st August, 2026 is hereby published for general information in pursuance of Rule-138 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Goa Legislative Assembly.

________

The Goa Ease of Doing Business (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, 2026

(Bill No. 58 of 2026)

A

BILL

to amend certain enactments as in force in the State of Goa with a view to reduce regulatory and

compliance burden, decriminalizing minor and technical contraventions, promoting trust-based and

risk-proportionate governance, facilitating transparent and time-bound delivery of business-related

services, strengthening co-ordinated and single-window approval mechanisms, facilitating investment

and improving the ease of doing business in the State of Goa, and for matters connected therewith or

incidental thereto.

BE it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of Goa in the Seventy-seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:-

1. Short title and commencement.— (1) This Act may be called the Goa Ease of Doing Business (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, 2026.

(2) It shall come into force on such date as the Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint:

Provided that different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act and for different amendments specified in the Schedule hereto, and any reference in any such provision to the commencement of this Act shall be hereto construed as a reference to the coming into force of that provision or amendment, as the case may be.

2. Amendment of certain enactments.— The enactments specified in column (4) of the Schedule hereto are hereby amended to the extent and in the manner specified in the corresponding entry in column (5) thereof.

3. Construction of references.— Unless otherwise expressly provided in the Schedule hereto, any reference in any law, rule, regulation, notification, order, scheme, instrument, contract, license, permission, approval or proceeding to a provision amended by this Act shall, on and from the commencement of the relevant amendment, be construed as a reference to that provision as so amended.

4. Savings.— Unless otherwise expressly provided in the Schedule hereto, the amendment of any enactment by this Act shall not affect,

(a) the previous operation of the enactment so amended, or anything duly done or suffered thereunder;

(b) any right, privilege, obligation or liability acquired, accrued or incurred under the enactment so amended;

(c) any penalty, forfeiture or punishment incurred in respect of any offence or contravention committed before the commencement of the relevant amendment; or

(d) any investigation, inquiry, adjudication, legal proceeding or remedy in respect of any such right, privilege, obligation, liability, penalty, forfeiture or punishment,

and any such investigation, inquiry, adjudication, legal proceeding or remedy may be instituted, continued or enforced, and any such penalty, forfeiture or punishment may be imposed, as if the relevant amendment had not been made.

5. Pending applications and proceedings.— (1) Unless otherwise expressly provided in the Schedule, every application, appeal, revision, review, inquiry, adjudication or other proceeding pending immediately before the commencement of an amendment made by this Act shall, on and from such commencement, be dealt with and disposed of in accordance with the enactment as amended by this Act.

(2) Where the application of the enactment as amended would prejudicially affect a vested right, impose a new penalty in respect of past conduct, or render unlawful anything lawfully done before such commencement, the matter shall, to that extent, be dealt with in accordance with the law in force immediately before such commencement.

6. Continuation of rules, regulations and other instruments.— All rules, regulations, notifications, orders, schemes, appointments, licenses, permissions, approvals, directions and other instruments made, issued or granted under an enactment amended by this Act and in force immediately before the commencement of the relevant amendment shall, insofar as they are not inconsistent with that enactment as so amended, continue to be in force until amended, superseded, rescinded or withdrawn by the competent authority.

"SCHEDULE

(See section 2)

(2) Where the Corporation is satisfied that any person who has obtained freehold rights under sub-section (1) has used the plot or premises for any purpose other than a purpose specified in the regulations, the Corporation may, after giving a notice and a reasonable opportunity of being heard, by order, cancel such freehold rights and take possession of the plot or premises in such manner as may be specified by regulations.

(3) Where any person who has obtained freehold rights under sub-section (1) fails to intimate the Corporation regarding transfer, lease, amalgamation or bifurcation of the plot or premises, the Corporation may, after giving a notice and a reasonable opportunity of being heard, by order, impose such penalty as may be specified by regulations.

(4) Any person aggrieved by an order made under this section may, within sixty days from the date of communication of such order, prefer an appeal to such appellate authority and in such manner as may be specified by regulations.".

(B) In Section 18, after sub-section (3), the following sub-

section shall be inserted, namely:—

"(3A) Notwithstanding anything contained in this section, all monies received by the Corporation as freehold premium under section 28A shall be maintained as a separate fund, and the Corporation shall determine the manner in which such fund shall be managed.".

(C) In Section 23, after sub-section (2), the following sub-

section shall be inserted, namely:—

"(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or in any other law for the time being in force, no money received under sub-section (3A) of Section 18 shall be spent except the interest or returns earned thereon:

Provided that any interest or returns remaining unutilized after meeting the expenditure incurred during a financial year shall be credited to, and form part of, the fund referred to in sub-section (3A) of Section 18.".

(D) In Section 37A, in sub-section (1), after Clause (c), the

following proviso shall be inserted, namely:

(i) "Provided that the Municipalities and the Village Panchayats which were receiving house tax from the occupants in the industrial estates under their respective laws shall be compensated by the Government to the extent of the last financial year's collection of taxes, for such period as may be determined by the Government, which shall not be less than five years.";

(ii) in sub-section (1), after the proviso so inserted, the

following clause shall be inserted, namely:

"(d) make such other provision as may be necessary for the purpose of enforcement of the provisions applicable to that area.";

(iii) after sub-section (1), the following sub-sections

shall be inserted, namely:—

"(2) Before the publication of a notification under sub- section (1), the Government shall cause to be published in the Official Gazette and also in at least one newspaper published in a language other than English and circulating in the area proposed to be specified in the notification, a proclamation inviting all persons who entertain any objection to the said proposal to submit the same in writing, with reasons, to the Government within two months from the date of publication of the proclamation in the Official Gazette.

(3) No notification under sub-section (1) shall be issued by the Government unless the objections, if any, submitted under sub-section (2), are in its opinion insufficient or invalid.".

(E) In Section 37B,

(i) in sub-section (1),—

(a) for the words "appoint a Committee", the expression "appoint a Committee to be called the Industrial Planning and Developing Committee, hereinafter referred to as the Committee," shall be substituted;

(b) clause (ii) shall be omitted;

(c) in clause (iv), after the words "to be nominated by the Government", the words "or a retired Town Planner or Chief Town Planner of the Government of Goa to be appointed by the Corporation on contractual basis" shall be inserted;

(d) in clause (iv), the following, "to decide and dispose of all applications for land development, permissions, No Objection Certificate, construction of building under all local or special laws including Goa, Daman and Diu Town and Country Planning Act, 1974 (Act 21 of 1975) and rules framed thereunder (hereinafter in this section referred to as the said Act)", shall be omitted;

(e) after clause (iv), the following clauses shall be inserted, namely:— "(v) officers deputed by the Inspectorate of Factories and Boilers, Government of Goa, to be nominated by the State Government—Members; (vi) officers deputed by the Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services, Government of Goa, to be nominated by the State Government— Members; (vii) members of the Goa State Pollution Control Board, to be deputed and nominated by the Board— Members.";

(ii) in sub-section (2), after the expression "Planning and Development Authority in a planning area, under the laws in force", the expression:

"and decide and dispose of all applications for land development, permissions, No Objection Certificate, construction of building under all local or special laws including Goa, Daman and Diu Town and Country Planning Act, 1974 (Act 21 of 1975) and rules framed thereunder, hereinafter in this section referred to as the said Act" shall be inserted;

(iii) in sub-section (5), for the expression "may prefer an appeal to the Goa Town and Country Planning Board. The provisions of section 45 of the said Act, and the rules framed thereunder, shall, mutatis mutandis, apply to such appeal.", the expression "may, within sixty days from the date of communication of such order, prefer an appeal to such appellate authority and in such manner, as may be specified by the regulations." shall be substituted;

(iv) after sub-section (5), the following sub-sections shall

be inserted, namely:—

"(6) Subject to such notification as may be issued by the State Government, the officers deputed under Clause (v) of sub-section (1) shall, within an industrial area, exercise such powers and discharge such functions as may be necessary for granting approvals under the applicable law relating to factories, including the grant of previous permission and license under the Factories Act, 1948 (Central Act 63 of 1948).

(7) Subject to such notification as may be issued by the State Government, the officers deputed under Clause (vi) of sub-section (1) shall, within an industrial area, exercise such powers and discharge such functions as may be necessary for granting approvals under the applicable law relating to fire safety, including the grant of no objection certificates under the applicable law.

(8) Subject to an order issued by the Goa State Pollution Control Board under the applicable law, the members under Clause (vii) of sub-section (1) shall, within an industrial area, exercise such powers and discharge such functions as may be necessary for granting approvals under the applicable law relating to prevention and control of pollution, including grant of Consent to Establish and Consent to Operate under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 (Central Act 6 of 1974) and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 (Central Act 14 of 1981), in respect of industries other than red category industries.

(9) The officers deputed under Clauses (iv), (v) and (vi), and the members deputed under Clause (vii) of sub-section (1), shall, during the period of their deputation to the Committee, be under the administrative control and supervision of the Managing Director of the Corporation, without prejudice to the exercise of their powers and discharge of their functions under the applicable law.";

(v) the matter appearing after sub-section (5), beginning with the proviso "Provided that the Municipalities and the Village Panchayats..." and ending with sub-section (3), shall be omitted.

(F) In Section 51, in sub-section (1), after clause (c), the

following clause shall be inserted, namely:—

"(ca) under Section 28A, the manner and terms and conditions for grant of freehold rights, the freehold premium, the manner of cancellation of freehold rights and taking possession of the plot or premises, the imposition of penalty, the appellate authority and the manner of preferring appeals;".

(F) For Section 7 the following section shall be substituted,

namely:—

"7. Intimation of establishment employing less than ten employees.— (1) With a period of sixty day from the date of commencement of The Goa Ease of Doing Business (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, 2026 or the date on which establishment commences its business, the employer of every establishment employing less than ten employees shall give an intimation of having commenced the business by submitting online application as may be prescribed, containing details such as name of the employer and manager, name of establishment, nature of business, number of workers and such other details as may be prescribed.

(2) The employer of every establishment employing less than ten employees shall intimate to the Facilitator-cum- Inspector within thirty days any changes in the business or particulars of the establishment.

(3) The employer of such establishment employing less than ten employees shall intimate to the Facilitator-cum- Inspector within thirty days from the date of the closing of the business that the establishment has been closed for business in such form and manner as may be prescribed.

(G) Sections 8, 9 and 10 shall be omitted.

(H) For Section 12, the following section shall be

substituted, namely:—

"12. Daily and weekly hours of work in establishment and interval for rest.— (1) The number of hours of work which shall constitute a normal working day inclusive of interval for rest, shall be as prescribed by the Government.

(2) The period and hours of work shall be informed well in advance to all the employees in writing and a copy of the same shall be sent to the Facilitator-cum-Inspector electronically or otherwise.".

(I) In Section 13, for the expression "of a worker in establishment shall not exceed twelve hours in any day, and in case a worker entrusted with intermittent nature of work or urgent work, the spread over shall not exceed fourteen hours", the expression "of an employee in an establishment shall be as notified by the Government" shall be substituted.

(J) In Section 14, in sub-section (2), the existing proviso

shall be omitted.

(K) In Section 15, sub-sections (1), (4) and (5) shall be

omitted.

(L) In Section 16, in sub-section (1), for the expression "7.00 a.m. and 7.30 p.m." the expression "6.00 a.m. and 7.00 p.m." shall be substituted.

(M) Sections 17, 18 and 19 shall be omitted.

(N) In Section 20, in sub-section (7),—

(i) in Clause (a), for the expression "Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946 (Central Act 26 of 1946)", the expression "Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (35 of 2020)" shall be substituted;

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

The Government of India has undertaken initiatives for reduction of compliance burden and deregulation with the objectives of promoting trust-based governance, improving the ease of living and doing business and facilitating investment-led economic growth. Pursuant to these initiatives, the Government of Goa has undertaken a review of business-facing State enactments and the regulatory processes administered thereunder.

The review has identified provisions and procedures that may be rationalized in order to reduce avoidable regulatory burden, distinguish serious or fraudulent violations from minor and technical contraventions, promote risk-proportionate regulation and self-certification, facilitate transparent and time- bound delivery of approvals and services, and strengthen coordinated and single-window institutional mechanisms.

The Bill accordingly seeks to amend the enactments specified in the Schedule while preserving safeguards relating to public health and safety, worker welfare, educational standards, environmental protection, land-use planning, public revenue and procedural fairness.

The bill seeks to achieve the above subjects.

FINANCIAL MEMORANDUM

No financial implications are involved in this Bill.

MEMORANDUM REGARDING DELEGATED LEGISLATION

The Bill contains provisions empowering the Government, the Goa Industrial Development Corporation, the Goa State Pollution Control Board, the authorities of the concerned departments, and other competent authorities under the respective enactments to issue notifications, make regulations, prescribe procedures, specify terms and conditions, designate authorities, depute or nominate officers, and determine the manner of implementation for carrying out the purposes of the respective amendments.

The amendments to the Goa Court-Fees Act, 2024 empower the Government to appoint adjudicating officers and appellate authorities for adjudication of penalties and appeals.

The amendments to the Goa Industrial Development Act, 1965 empower the Corporation to frame regulations regarding grant of freehold rights, premium, cancellation, penalties, appellate mechanism, constitution and functioning of the Industrial Planning and Developing Committee, and related matters.

The amendments to the Goa (Right of Citizens to Time-Bound Delivery of Public Services) Act, 2013 empower the Government to prescribe the manner and procedure for electronic service delivery, system- generated appeals, withdrawal of such appeals, computation and suspension of specified time limits, and alternative processes in case of platform failure.

The amendments to the Goa, Shops and Establishments (Registration of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2025 empower the Government to prescribe the form, manner, particulars and procedure for online intimation by establishments, notification of working hours and connected matters.

The amendments to the Goa, Town and Country Planning Act, 1974 are clarificatory in nature and do not involve any additional delegation beyond implementation of the amended provision.

These delegations are of normal character.

Porvorim, Goa. 31st August, 2026.

Dr. Pramod Sawant Chief Minister

Assembly Hall, Porvorim, Goa. 31st August, 2026.

Smt. Namrata Ulman Secretary to the Legislative Assembly of Goa.

---------

ANNEXURE

to comply with any requirements of the Corporation as to its development and use, have as opportunity to obtain there on accommodation suitable to their reasonable requirements on terms settled with due regard to the price at which any such land has been acquired from them.

(3) Nothing in this Act shall be construed as enabling the Corporation without the approval of the State Government to dispose of land by way of gift, mortgage or charge, but subject as aforesaid any reference in this Act to the disposal of land shall be construed as a reference to the disposal thereof in any manner, whether by way of sale, exchange or lease or by the creation of any easement, right or privilege or otherwise.

18. Corporation's fund.— (3) Such accounts shall be operated upon by such officers of the Corporation as may be authorised by it by regulations made in this behalf.

23. Expenditure from funds.— (2) Without prejudice to the generality of the power conferred by sub-section (1), the Corporation may contribute such, sums as it thinks fit towards expenditure incurred or to be incurred by any local authority or statutory public undertaking in the performance, in relation to any of the statutory functions of such authority or undertaking, including expenditure incurred in the acquisition of land.

[37 A]. Declaration as industrial area.— (1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any other law for the time being in force, the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette.

(c) declare that the provisions of any law relating to local authorities providing for control or erection of buildings, levy and collection of taxes, fees and other dues to the local authority which is in force in that area shall cease to apply and thereupon such provisions shall cease to apply thereof;

37B. Development of areas.— (1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any other law for the time being in force, once a notification is issued under sub-section (1) of section 37A declaring an industrial area as a notified area the State Government, may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint a Committee consisting of — (i) the Managing Director of the Corporation—Chairperson; (ii) Under Secretary (Revenue) to the Government of Goa— Member; (iii) One member nominated by the Corporation from amongst the Directors of the Corporation having knowledge in the field of engineering, architecture, industry, etc.— Member; (iv) Deputy Town Planner in the Town and Country Planning Department to be nominated by the Government— Member Secretary; to decide and dispose of all applications for land development, permissions, No Objection Certificate, construction of building under all local or special laws including Goa, Daman and Diu Town and Country Planning Act, 1974 (Act 21 of 1975) and rules framed thereunder (hereinafter in this section referred to as the "said Act").

(2) The Committee shall discharge all the functions of the Chief Town Planner, Town and Country Planning Department in a non planning area, and functions of the Planning and Development Authority in a planning area, under the laws in force.

(3) The Committee shall have regard to the provisions of all local laws including any regional plan, outline development plan, comprehensive development plan or other plans prepared under the said Act.

(i) a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (Central Act XXI of 1860) or charitable or other trust, whether registered or not, which carries on, whether for purposes of gain or not, any business, trade or profession or work in connection with, or incidental or ancillary to, such business trade or profession;

(ii) an establishment of any medical practitioner (including hospital, dispensary, clinic, polyclinic, maternity home and such others), architect, engineer, accountant, tax consultant, insurance consultant or any other technical or professional consultant; and

(iii) any other establishment which the Government may notify to be a commercial establishment, but does not include a factory, shop, residential hotel, restaurant, eating house, theatre or other place of public amusement or entertainment.

(d) "day" means the period of twenty-four hours beginning at

midnight;

(h) "factory" means factory within the meaning of the Factories Act,

1948 (Central Act 63 of 1948);

(w) "restaurant or eating house" means any premises, in which, wholly or partially the business of the supply of meal or refreshments to the public or a class of the public for consumption on the premises is carried on, but does not include a restaurant attached to a theatre or restaurant or a canteen attached to a factory if the persons employed therein are allowed the benefits provided for workers under the Factories Act, 1948 (Central Act 63 of 1948);

(y) "spread over" means the period between the commencement and

the termination of the work of a worker on any day;

(za) "wages" means wages as defined in the Payment of Wages Act,

1936 (Central Act 4 of 1936);

(zd) "young person" means a person who is not a child but has not

completed eighteen years of age.

3. Act not to apply to certain establishments and persons.—

(5) A worker occupying position of confidential, managerial or supervisory character in an establishment, a list of which shall be displayed on the website of establishments and in absence of the website at a conspicuous place in the establishment and a copy thereof shall be sent to the Facilitators;

6) A worker whose work is inherently intermittent;

(8) A worker in any establishment whose average monthly wages

exceed rupees twenty four thousand;

4. Application of Act to other establishments and workers.— (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare any establishment or class of establishments to which, or any worker or person or class of workers or persons to whom, this Act or any of the provisions thereof does not for the time being apply, to be an establishment or class of establishments or a worker or a person or class of workers or persons to which or whom this Act or any provisions thereof with such modifications or adaptations as may in the opinion of the State Government be necessary shall apply from such date as may be specified in the notification.

(2) On such declaration under sub-section (1), any such

establishment or class of establishments or such workers or person or1207 OFFICIAL GAZETTE — GOVT. OF GOA SERIES I No. 23 (SUPPLEMENT) 04TH SEPTEMBER, 2026 class of workers or persons shall be deemed to be an establishment or class of establishments to which, or to be a worker or a person or class of workers or persons to whom, this Act, applies and all or any of the provision of this Act with such modification or adaptation as may be specified in such declaration, shall apply to such establishment or class of establishments or to such worker or persons or class of workers or persons.

6. Registration of establishments.— (1) Within a period of sixty days from the date of commencement of this Act or the date on which establishment commences its business, the employer of every establishment employing twenty or more workers shall submit application online in a prescribed form for registration to the Facilitator-cum-Inspector of the local area concerned, together with such fees and such self declaration and self-certified documents as may be prescribed, containing—

(a) the name of the employer and the manager, if any;

(b) the postal address of the establishment;

(c) the name, if any, of the establishment;

(d) the actual nature of the business of the establishment; and

(e) such other particulars as may be prescribed:

Provided that, nothing contained hereinabove shall apply to the establishments already having valid registration or renewal under the Goa Shops and Establishments Act, 1973 (Goa Act No. 13 of 1974), until expiry of their registration or renewal.

7. Intimation of establishment employing less than twenty workers.— (1) Within a period of sixty days from the date of commencement of this Act or the date on which establishment commences its business, the employer of every establishment employing less than twenty workers shall give an intimation of having commenced the business by submitting online application as may be prescribed, containing details such as name of the employer and manager, name of establishment, nature of business, number of workers and such other details as may be prescribed:

Provided that, if at any point of time the number of workers engaged in the establishment become twenty or more, then all provisions of this Act shall apply to such establishment and the employer of such establishment shall have to obtain registration as per the provisions of section 6:

Provided further that, nothing contained in this sub-section shall apply to the establishments already having valid registration or renewal under the Goa Shops and Establishments Act, 1973 (Act No. 13 of 1974), until expiry of their registration or renewal.

(2) The employer of such establishment employing less than twenty workers shall intimate within thirty days from the date of the closing of the business that the establishment has been closed for business in such form and manner as may be prescribed.

8. Cancellation of registration.— At any time, if it is found or brought to the notice of the Facilitator cum-Inspector that the registration of any establishment has been obtained by misrepresentation or suppression of material facts or by submitting false or forged documents or false declaration or by fraud, and therefore, requires to be revoked, the Facilitator-cum-Inspector shall, after giving an opportunity of being heard, to the employer of the1208 OFFICIAL GAZETTE — GOVT. OF GOA SERIES I No. 23 (SUPPLEMENT) 04TH SEPTEMBER, 2026 establishment, cancel the registration and remove such establishment from the register of establishments in the manner prescribed

9. Change to be communicated to Facilitator-cum-Inspector.— Every employer shall digitally communicate to the Facilitator-cum- Inspector, in such form as may prescribed, any change in any of the particulars contained in the application submitted under section 6 within such period, after the change has taken place, as the Government may prescribe. The Facilitator-cum-Inspector shall, on receiving such notice and such fees as may be prescribed along with the self-declaration of the applicant and self certified documents as may be prescribed, make the change in the register of establishments in accordance with such notice and shall issue a fresh registration certificate online.

10. Closing of establishment to be communicated to Facilitator- cum-Inspector.— (1) The employer shall communicate to the Facilitator-cum-Inspector within thirty days from the date of closing of the business that the establishment has been closed for business in such form and manner, as may be prescribed.

(2) The Facilitator-cum-Inspector on receiving the information and on being satisfied about its correctness, shall remove such establishment from the register of establishments and cancel the registration certificate:

Provided that, if the Facilitator does not receive the information but he is otherwise satisfied that any establishment has been closed, he may remove such establishment from such register of establishments and cancel such certificate

12. Daily and weekly hours of work in establishment and interval for rest.— Subject to the other provisions of the Act, no adult worker shall be required or allowed to work in any establishment for more than ten hours in any day and forty-eight hours in any week. No adult worker shall be asked to work continuously for more than five hours unless he has been given a break of not less than half an hour: Provided that, the working hours or weekly holiday may be relaxed in case of work of urgent nature with the previous permission of the Facilitator-cum-Inspector.

13. Spread-over in establishments.— The spread-over of a worker in establishment shall not exceed twelve hours in any day, and in case a worker entrusted with intermittent nature of work or urgent work, the spread over shall not exceed fourteen hours.

14. Wages for overtime.— (1) Where a worker in any establishment is required to work beyond eight hours in a day excluding the rest time or forty eight hours a week, he shall be entitled in respect of the overtime work, wages at the rate of twice his ordinary rate of wages.

(2) The total number of overtime hours shall not exceed one

hundred and forty-four hours in a period of three months:

Provided that in case the worker is required to work upto 10 hours excluding the rest time as normal working day, the overtime at the rate twice his ordinary rate of wages shall apply only when the worker works beyond 48 hours in a week.

15. Weekly holiday for worker.— (1) A department or any section of a department of the establishment may work in more than one shift at the discretion of the employer and if more than one shift is worked,1209 OFFICIAL GAZETTE — GOVT. OF GOA SERIES I No. 23 (SUPPLEMENT) 04TH SEPTEMBER, 2026 the worker may be required to work in any shift at the discretion of

the employer.

(4) The period and hours of work in a week for all classes of workers in such shift shall be informed well in advance to all workers in writing and shall be sent to the Facilitator-cum-Inspector electronically or otherwise.

(5) Where a worker is required to work on a day of his rest, he shall

be entitled to wages at the rate of twice his ordinary rate of wages.

16. Employment of women.— (1) No woman worker shall be required or allowed to work in any establishment except between the hours of 7.00 a.m. and 7.30 p.m.:

Provided that, the woman worker shall be allowed to work during 7.30 p.m. and 7.00 a.m. in any establishment, having provision of shelter, restroom, ladies toilet, adequate protection and safety, protection from sexual harassment and facility of transportation from the establishment to their residence and subject to written consent of the woman worker.

17. Employment of child.— No child shall be employed or

permitted to work in any establishment.

18. Employment of young persons.— No young person shall be required or allowed to work in any establishment before 6 a.m. and after 7 p.m.

19. Daily and weekly hours of work for young persons.— Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, no young person shall be required or allowed to work in any establishment for more than 7 hours in any day and forty-two hours in any week nor shall such person be allowed to work overtime

20. Leave. — (7) For the purpose of sub-section (3),—

(a) any days of lay-off, by agreement or contract or as permissible under the model standing orders or standing order certified under Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946 (Central Act 26 of 1946);

(b) in the case of a woman worker, maternity leave as provided

for in the Maternity Benefits Act, 1961 (Central Act 53 of 1961);

25. Creche facility.— In every establishment wherein fifty or more workers are employed, there shall be provided and maintained a suitable room or rooms as crèche for the use of children of such workers:

Provided that, if a group of establishments, so decide to provide a common creche within a radius of one kilometre, then, the same shall be permitted by the Chief Facilitator by an order, subject to such conditions as may be specified in the order.

26. Canteen.— The State Government shall require the employer to provide and maintain in the establishment, wherein not less than one hundred workers are employed or ordinarily employed to maintain a canteen for the use of its workers:

Provided that, if a group of establishments, so decide to provide a common canteen, then the same shall be permitted by the Chief Facilitator by an order, subject to such conditions as may be specified in the order.

LA/LEGN/2026/1633 The following bill which was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa on 31st August, 2026 is hereby published for general information in pursuance of Rule-138 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Goa Legislative Assembly.

________

The Goa Special Courts (Land Grabbing) Bill, 2026

(Bill No. 62 of 2026)

A

BILL

to provide for special courts in the State of Goa for the trial of offences of land grabbing and matters

connected therewith or incidental thereto.

BE it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of Goa in the Seventy-seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:-

1. Short title, extent and commencement.— (1) This Act may be called the Goa Special Courts (Land Grabbing) Act, 2026.

(2) It shall extend to the whole of the State of Goa.

(3) It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 24th day of June, 2025.

2. Definitions.— In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

(a) "Government" means the Government of Goa;

(b) "High Court" means the High Court of Bombay at Goa;

(c) "land grabbing" means the activity of taking possession of any land forcibly, violently, unscrupulously, unfairly or greedily, without any lawful entitlement, with the intention of or with a view to,—

(i) take possession of such land illegally; or

(ii) enter into or create illegal tenancy, leave and licence agreements, or any other illegal agreements in respect of such land; or

(iii) construct unauthorised structure thereon for sale or hire; or

(iv) give such land to any person on rental basis, or on lease, or on leave and licence basis for construction, or for the use and occupation of unauthorised structure,

and the expression "grabbed land" shall be construed accordingly.

Explanation.—The activity referred to in this clause shall include every act done, every omission made and every document made, executed, used, presented, registered or caused to be registered, in the course of, or in furtherance of, or in relation to such activity;

(d) "Special Court" means a Special Court designated under Section 3 of this Act.

3. Designation of Special Courts.— (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, the Government may, with the concurrence of the High Court and by notification published in the Official Gazette, designate one or more Courts of Session as Special Courts for the trial of cases relating to land grabbing.

(2) Every land grabbing case shall be tried exclusively by the Special Court having jurisdiction over the area in which the land is situated.

(3) In addition to the powers of a Court of Session, the Special Court shall have all the powers of a Magistrate, including the power to take cognizance of offences.

(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, any public prosecutor or additional public prosecutor already appointed for the Court of Session which is designated as a special court under sub-section (1) of Section 3 of this Act, shall be deemed to be a public prosecutor for the purposes of this Act, and he shall be authorized to conduct prosecutions before such Specials Courts without requiring a fresh appointment.

4. Appeal.— (1) An appeal shall lie against any conviction and the sentence imposed by the Special Court to the High Court.

(2) An appeal against an acquittal may be filed to the High Court in terms of Section 419 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (46 of 2023).

5. Power to remove difficulties.— (1) If any difficulty arises in giving effect to any of the provisions of this Act, the Government may, by order not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, remove the difficulty:

Provided that no such order shall be made after the expiration of a period of two years from the date of commencement of this Act.

(2) Every order made under this section shall, as soon as may be after it is made, be laid before the Legislative Assembly of Goa.

6. Validation.— Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, or any judgment, decree or order of any court or other authority, any order issued, any action taken, proceedings initiated and continued, or anything done before the commencement of this Act, which is consistent with the provisions of this Act, shall be deemed to have been validly done as if this Act had been in force at all material times.

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

Land grabbing and the unlawful occupation of land have emerged as a matter of serious concern in the State of Goa. Such activities often involve the unlawful taking of possession of land by deceit, fraud or force and the creation of unauthorised interests or transactions in respect thereof. Recognising the seriousness of the issue, the Government of Goa, by Notification dated the 9th day of September, 2022, constituted a Commission of Inquiry under the chairmanship of Justice V. K. Jadhav (Retd.) to inquire into cases of land grabbing in the State of Goa. The report submitted by Justice V. K. Jadhav (Retd.) observes inter alia that land grabbing activities not only affect the rights of lawful landowners and persons in possession, but also result in prolonged litigation and difficulties in the effective enforcement of criminal law. The Report also recommends the establishment of Special Courts to ensure the expeditious trial and disposal of cases.

It is, therefore, considered necessary to provide for a specialised mechanism for the expeditious trial of offences relating to land grabbing. This Bill seeks to empower the Government, with the concurrence of the High Court, to designate one or more Courts of Session as Special Courts for the exclusive trial pertaining to the activity of land grabbing.

This Bill also contains provisions to remove difficulties that may arise in giving effect to the proposed legislation and to validate actions taken prior to its commencement, which are consistent with the provisions of the proposed Act.

The Bill seeks to achieve the above objects

FINANCIAL MEMORANDUM

No additional financial implications are involved in this Bill.

MEMORANDUM REGARDING DELEGATED LEGISLATION

Clause 3 of the Bill empowers the Government, with the concurrence of the High Court and by notification published in the Official Gazette, to designate one or more Courts of Session as Special Courts for the trial of cases relating to land grabbing.

Porvorim, Goa. 31st August, 2026.

Atanasio Monserrate Minister for Revenue.

Assembly Hall, Porvorim, Goa. 31st August, 2026.

Smt. Namrata Ulman Secretary to the Legislative Assembly of Goa.

LA/LEGN/2026/1659

The following bill which was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa on 2nd September, 2026 is hereby published for general information in pursuance of Rule-138 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Goa Legislative Assembly.

________

The Goa Appropriation (No. 4) Bill, 2026

(Bill No. 44 of 2026)

A

BILL

to authorise payment and appropriation of certain further sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund of

the State of Goa for the services and purposes of the financial year 2026-2027.

BE it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of Goa in the Seventy-seventh Year of the Republic of India, as follows:—

1. Short title.— This Act may be called the Goa Appropriation (No. 4) Act, 2026.

2. Issue of Rs. 1061,15,41,000/-, out of the Consolidated Fund of the State of Goa for the financial year 2026-2027.— From and out of the Consolidated Fund of the State of Goa, there may be paid and applied sums not exceeding those specified in column (5) of the Schedule hereto amounting in the aggregate to the sums of one thousand sixty one crore fifteen lakh forty one thousand rupees towards defraying the several charges which will come in the course of payment during the financial year 2026- 2027 in respect of the services and for purposes specified in column (2) of the said Schedule.

3. Appropriation.— The sums authorised to be paid and applied from and out of the Consolidated Fund of the State of Goa under this Act, shall be appropriated for the services and purposes expressed in the said Schedule to this Act in relation to the said financial year.

---------

SCHEDULE

(See Sections 2 and 3)

(Rs. in Lakhs)

Sums not exceeding

Total Demand No.

Services and purposes Voted by

Assembly

Charged on the Consolidated Fund of the State of Goa

(1)

(2)

(3) (4) (5)

01 Legislature Secretariat

2353.50 64.00 2417.50 A1 Lok Bhavan (Charged)

0.00 250.00 250.00 02 General Administration and Coordination 250.00 — 250.00 04 District and Sessions Court, South Goa 0.01 — 0.01 07 Settlement and Land Records 1510.00 — 1510.00 08 Treasury and Accounts Administration, North Goa 2000.00 — 2000.00 11 Excise

350.00 — 350.00 13 Transport

0.02 — 0.02 15 Collectorate, North Goa

303.00 — 303.00 16 Collectorate, South Goa

0.03 — 0.031214 OFFICIAL GAZETTE — GOVT. OF GOA SERIES I No. 23 (SUPPLEMENT) 04TH SEPTEMBER, 2026

(Rs. In lakhs)

(1)

(2) (3) (4) (5) 19 Industries, Trade and Commerce 0.03 — 0.03 20 Printing and Stationery 21 Public Works Department 23 Home

0.01 — 0.01 5000.00 — 5000.00 0.04 — 0.04 25 Home Guards and Civil Defence 0.01 — 0.01 31 Panchayats

33 Revenue

34 School Education

35 Higher Education

0.08 — 0.08 800.24 — 800.24 0.03 — 0.03 4220.53 — 4220.53 36 Technical Education Curchorem 0.03 — 0.03 43 Art and Culture

47 Goa Medical College 48 Health Services

4035.53 — 4035.53 6750.05 — 6750.05 2700.14 — 2700.14 49 Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour 0.01 — 0.01 52 Labour

55 Municipal Administration 56 Information and Publicity 57 Social Welfare

3500.00 — 3500.00 2000.05 — 2000.05 6000.00 — 6000.00 0.27 — 0.27 58 Women and Child Development 106.01 — 106.01 59 Factories and Boilers 62 Law

64 Agriculture

0.02 — 0.02 150.01 — 150.01 0.09 — 0.09 65 Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services 1100.00 — 1100.00 67 Ports Administration

68 Forests

69 Handicraft, Textile and Coir 70 Civil Supplies

71 Cooperation

74 Water Resources

1500.00 — 1500.00 0.01 — 0.01 0.06 — 0.06 10000.01 — 10000.01 420.00 — 420.00 7000.06 — 7000.06 75 Planning, Statistics and Evaluation 5680.00 — 5680.00 76 Electricity

77 River Navigation

78 Tourism

17500.00 — 17500.00 1026.50 — 1026.50 3935.76 — 3935.76 81 Department of Tribal Welfare 150.00 — 150.00 82 Information Technology 3000.00 — 3000.001215 OFFICIAL GAZETTE — GOVT. OF GOA SERIES I No. 23 (SUPPLEMENT) 04TH SEPTEMBER, 2026

(Rs. In lakhs)

(1)

(2)

(3) (4) (5)

85 Department of Rural Development 6500.00 — 6500.00 88 Department of Public Private Partnership 500.12 — 500.12 89 Department of Empowerment of Persons with

90.02 — 90.02 Disabilities

90 Drinking Water Department 5000.00 — 5000.00 93 Collectorate, Kushavati

369.00 — 369.00 94 Department of Ayush

0.13 — 0.13

TOTAL

105801.41 314.00 106115.41

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

The Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2026-2027 (First Batch) was presented to the Legislative Assembly. This Bill is introduced in pursuance of article 204 read with article 205 of the Constitution of India to provide for appropriation of certain further sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund of the State of Goa, to meet the expenditure on certain services, granted by the Legislative Assembly for those services, during the financial year 2026-2027.

DR. PRAMOD SAWANT Finance Minister/Chief Minister.

Porvorim-Goa. 2nd September, 2026.

NAMRATA ULMAN Secretary to the Legislative Assembly of Goa.

Assembly Hall, Porvorim, Goa. 2nd September, 2026.

Governor's Recommendation under Article 207 of the Constitution of India

In pursuance of Article 207 of the Constitution of India, I, Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Governor of Goa, hereby recommend the introduction and consideration of the Goa Appropriation (No. 4) Bill, 2026, by the Legislative Assembly of Goa.

———♦———

LA/LEGN/2026/1626 The following bill which was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of Goa on 31st August, 2026 is hereby published for general information in pursuance of Rule-138 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Goa Legislative Assembly.

________

The Goa Land Revenue Code (Amendment) Bill, 2026

(Bill No. 50 of 2026)

A

BILL

further to amend the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968 (Act No. 9 of 1969).

BE it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of Goa in the Seventy-seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:-

1. Short title and commencement.— (1) This Act may be called the Goa Land Revenue Code (Amendment) Act, 2026.

(2) It shall come into force at once except Section 4 which shall be deemed to have come into force on the 10th day of April, 2026.

2. Amendment of Section 2.— In Section 2 of the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968 (Act No. 9 of 1969) (hereinafter referred to as the "principal Act"),—

(i) after Clause 7, the following clause shall be inserted, namely:—

"(7A) "Common Cadre" means common cadre created under Section 4";

(ii) after clause (30), the following clauses shall be inserted, namely:—

"(30A) "Revenue Department" means Revenue Department of the Government of Goa;

(30B) "Revenue Secretary" means Secretary to Government of Goa in charge of Revenue Department";

(iii) after Clause (32), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:—

"(32A) "subordinate employees" means the employees working under the Revenue Department and notified as subordinate employees under Clause (1) of sub-section (1) of Section 4 of the Code". 3. Substitution of Section 4.— For Section 4 of the principal Act, the following section shall be substituted, namely:—

"4. Appointment of revenue, survey and other officers and subordinate employees.— (1) The Government, or such officer as may be authorized by Government in this behalf, may appoint the following classes of revenue and survey officers, namely:—

(a) Collector, including Additional Collector;

(b) Director of Settlement and Land Records, including Additional Director of Settlement and Land Records;

(c) Assistant Collectors and Deputy Collectors;

(d) Survey and Settlement Officers;

(e) Superintendent of Surveys and Land Records;

(f) Assistant Survey and Settlement Officers;

(g) Inspectors of Surveys and Land Records;

(h) Mamlatdars, including Joint Mamlatdars;

(i) Awal Karkuns;

(j) Revenue Inspectors;

(k) Village Accountants or Talathis; and

(l) such other officers and subordinate employees as may be specified by rules made under this Code.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Code or any other State law, the Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, constitute, in respect of all the Offices under the control of Revenue Department, a common cadre of any of the Officer or subordinate employees specified in sub- section (1).

(3) The Revenue Secretary shall be cadre controlling authority for the purpose of seniority list, transfer and promotions of the Officers and subordinate employees specified under Clause (i), (j), (k) and (1) of sub-section (1)."1217 OFFICIAL GAZETTE — GOVT. OF GOA SERIES I No. 23 (SUPPLEMENT) 04TH SEPTEMBER, 2026 4. Amendment of Section 38A.— In Section 38A of the principal Act, in sub-sections (3) and (7), for the words "six months", the words "eighteen months" shall be substituted.

5. Amendment of Section 199.— In Section 199 of the principal Act, in sub-section (2), for Clause (i) the following clause shall be substituted, namely.—

"(i) under Section 4, appointment of other officers and employees;".

6. Validation of certain appeals, orders, and acts under Section 188.— (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in any judgment, decree, or order of any Court or Tribunal to the contrary, any first appeal heard, order passed, or proceeding conducted by the Superintendent of Surveys and Land Records under the provisions of Clause (e) of sub-section (1) of Section 188 of this Code, prior to the commencement of the Goa Land Revenue Code (Amendment) Act, 2026, shall be deemed to be, and to have always been, valid and effective as if such appeal had been heard, order passed, or proceeding conducted by an appellate authority duly empowered and notified to be the appellate authority under the provisions of this Code and as if such powers were vested in him at all material times under this Code.

(2) No suit, appeal, or other legal proceeding shall be maintained or continued in any Court or before any authority merely on the ground that the Superintendent of Surveys and Land Records lacked jurisdiction to entertain or decide such appeals.

7. Repeal and Saving.— (1) The Goa Land Revenue Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 (Ordinance No. 2 of 2026) is hereby repealed.

(2) Notwithstanding such repeal, anything done or any action taken under the principal Act as amended by the said Ordinance shall be deemed to have been done or taken under the principal Act as amended by this Act.

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

All Group "C" and Group "D" employees of the Government of Goa working in various offices under the Revenue Department, outside Secretariat, holding similar posts, are presently governed and controlled by different authorities. Despite they belonging to Revenue Department their seniority is maintained separately. Also, they cannot be transferred from one office to another within the Department.

This has resulted in administrative related difficulties in the matter of deployment, transfer and movement of employees between different offices under the Revenue Department. There is no effective manpower management and utilisation of available human resources. The existing arrangement also creates practical difficulties in maintaining uniformity in cadre management and in providing suitable avenues for mobility.

Therefore, the Bill seeks to amend Sections 2 and 4 of the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968 (Act No. 2 of 1969) suitably.

The Bill further seeks to amend Section 38A of the said Code so as to extend the existing time period of 6 months to 18 months for providing reasonable time for applicants to avail benefits of Section 38A.

Clause 6 of the Bill seeks to validate certain appeals, orders and proceedings of the Superintendent of Surveys and Land Records, passed under Section 188 of the Code.

The Bill also seeks to repeal the Goa Land Revenue Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 (Ordinance No. 2 of 2026) promulgated by the Governor of Goa on the 10th day of April, 2026.

This Bill seeks to achieve the above objects.

FINANCIAL MEMORANDUM

No Financial implications are involved in this Bill.

MEMORANDUM REGARDING DELEGATED LEGISLATION

Clause 3 of the Bill empowers the Government to issue a notification for constituting a common cadre of Officer and subordinate employees in the Offices under the control of Revenue Department. This delegation is of normal character.

Porvorim-Goa. 31/08/2026

ATANASIO MONSERRATE Minister for Revenue

Assembly Hall, Porvorim, Goa. 31/08/2026.

NAMRATA ULMAN Secretary to the Legislative Assembly of Goa.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Extract of provisions of the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Section 2(7) "Collector" means the Collector of the district and includes any officer appointed by the Government to exercise and perform all or any of the powers and functions of a Collector under this Code Section 2(30) "revenue officer" means every officer of any rank whatsoever appointed under any of the provisions of this Code, and employed in or about the business of the land revenue or of the surveys, assessment, accounts, or records connected therewith;

Section 2(32) "standard rate" means, with reference to any particular class of land in a group, the value of four hundredths of the average yield of crops per hectare on land in that class of one hundred paise classification value;

Section 4. Appointment of revenue and survey officers.— The Government, or such officer as may be authorized by Government in this behalf, may appoint the following classes of revenue and survey officers, namely:—

(a) Collector, including Additional Collector;

(b) Director of Settlement and Land Records;

(c) Assistant Collectors and Deputy Collectors;

(d) Survey and Settlement Officers;

(e) Superintendent of Surveys and Land Records;

(f) Assistant Survey and Settlement Officers;

(g) Inspectors of Surveys and Land Records;

(h) Mamlatdars, including Joint Mamlatdars;

(i) Awal karkuns;

(j) Revenue Inspectors;

(k) Village Accountants or Talathis; and

(1) Such other village officers and servants as may be specified by rules made under this Code. Section 38A. Regularization of encroachment for unauthorized construction of dwelling house on Government land.— (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Code, the Goa Town and Country Planning Act, 1974 (Act 21 of 1975), the Goa Land (Prohibition on Construction) Act, 1995 (Goa Act No. 20 of 1995), the Goa (Regulation of Land Development and Building Construction) Act, 2008 (Goa Act 61219 OFFICIAL GAZETTE — GOVT. OF GOA SERIES I No. 23 (SUPPLEMENT) 04TH SEPTEMBER, 2026 of 2008), the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations, 2010, the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968 (Act No. 7 of 1969), the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 (Goa Act No. 14 of 1994), the City of Panaji Corporation Act, 2002 (Goa Act 1 of 2003) or any other State law for the time being in force, where any person has carried out unauthorized construction of a dwelling house before the 28th day of February, 2014, on a land belonging to the Government or land granted by the Government in any manner whatsoever, such land may be regularised by the Deputy Collector by issuing an order in that regard subject to such conditions as prescribed, conferring Class I Occupancy, upon an application being made by the applicant and upon payment to the Government the occupancy price at such rate as may be specified by the Government by an order published in the Official Gazette:

Provided that the Deputy Collector shall not entertain any application under sub-section (1), if the land upon which such dwelling house has been unauthorisedly constructed falls within the limits of the protected forest, area declared as a wild life sanctuary, area covered under the Coastal regulation zone where such construction has been carried out after the 19th day of February, 1991, No Development Zone, open spaces, areas covered under Eco Sensitive Zone-I, Khazan land, road set back or right of way or any construction which causes obstruction to any natural water channel or any structure which is constructed by filling water bodies or areas other than orchard land or cultivable land covered under Eco Sensitive Zone-II.

Explanation.— (i) "Eco Sensitive Zone-I" means Eco Sensitive Zone-I as classified in Regional Plan 2021.

(ii) "Eco Sensitive Zone-II" means Eco Sensitive Zone -II as classified in Regional Plan 2021:

Provided further that the Deputy Collector may entertain an application under sub-section (1), if the land upon which such dwelling house has been unauthorisedly constructed falls within the limits of the area covered under Settlement Zone, Institutional Zone, Industrial Zone, Cultivable Zone or Orchard.

(2) The total extent of land to be regularized under this section shall comprise of only plinth area of dwelling house and area adjoining to such dwelling house upto two meters on all sides from its outer walls, if available. In no case the Deputy Collector shall regularize land exceeding 400 square meters:

Provided that where the encroached area exceeds above permissible limit, the Deputy Collector shall not pass an order of regularization of land unless the applicant surrenders the excess encroached area to the Deputy Collector and the Deputy Collector takes possession of the same.

Provided further that, where more than one dwelling house exists in close proximity on land belonging to the Government or land granted by the Government and it is not feasible to allocate two metres of surrounding land from the outer walls to each such dwelling house, the available land shall be apportioned proportionately amongst them.

(3) Any person seeking regularisation under sub-section (1) shall make an application within six months from the date of coming into force of the Goa Land Revenue Code (Amendment) Act, 2025 to the Deputy Collector in such form, accompanied by such documents and such fees as prescribed.

(4) The Deputy Collector shall dispose of such application within a period of six months from the date of its receipt.

(5) No person to whom Class I Occupancy is granted under this section shall be entitled to sell, assign, or otherwise transfer the said land till the expiry of a period of twenty years from the date of such grant, except by way of gift in favour of a family member of the applicant and such transfer shall not attract the provisions of Section 37-B of this Code.

(6) Once the land on which the dwelling house exists is regularized under the provisions of this section, any person who has been granted Class I occupancy may make an application under the Goa Regularisation of Unauthorized Construction Act, 2016 (Goa Act 20 of 2016), for the purpose of regularization of such dwelling house in accordance with the provisions contained therein.

(7) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Code or any other State law for the time being in force or any Judgment/Decree/Order of any court, no such dwelling house which has been unauthorisedly constructed before 28th day of February, 2014, shall be demolished for a period of six months from the date of coming into force of the Goa Land Revenue Code (Amendment) Act, 2025 and in case any application under sub-section (3) is filed, within the time limit specified thereto, then such dwelling house shall not be demolished until the disposal of the said application.

(8) If no application is filed in accordance with sub-section (3) within the time limit specified thereto or if such application so filed is rejected, the Deputy Collector shall initiate action against such encroachment in accordance with law.

(9) No suit, prosecution or other legal proceeding shall lie against the Deputy Collector or any officer authorised by the Deputy Collector, in respect of anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done in pursuance of this section or of any rules or orders made thereunder.

(10) In case it is found that the applicant has submitted false declaration or document,— (a) the Deputy Collector shall revoke the order passed under sub-section (1) and upon such revocation the land regularised or allotted if any shall stand reverted to the Government;

(b) the applicant shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend upto two years and with fine which may extend upto rupees one lakh.

(11) An offence punishable under this Section shall be cognizable.

(12) No Court other than the Court of a Judicial Magistrate First Class shall

take cognizance of, and try, an offence under this section.

Explanation: For the purpose of this Section,—

(a) "applicant" means a landless person, who has constructed a dwelling house on Government land before the 28th day of February, 2014, and who has been a resident of Goa for a period of not less than fifteen years immediately preceding the said date and includes his family members in case of his death but does not include a person or his family member who owns a plot of land, house, flat or apartment or an undivided share in ancestral property which on the date of making an application has been separately allotted to him;

(b) "dwelling house" means a house where the applicant or his family members reside with a fixed habitation and is exclusively used by him or his family members for the purpose of their dwelling and is allotted a number by the local authority;

(c) "family member" means the spouse, son, unmarried daughter and includes grandson, widowed daughter, widowed granddaughter.

188. Appeals.— (1) Save as otherwise expressly provided, an appeal shall lie from every original order, other than an interim order passed under this Code—

(a) if such an order is passed by an officer subordinate to the Sub-Divisional Officer, to the Sub- Divisional Officer;

(b) if such an order is passed by the Sub-Divisional Officer, to the Collector;

(c) if such an order is passed by the Collector, to the Tribunal;

(d) if such an order is passed by an Assistant Survey and Settlement Officer, to the Survey and Settlement Officer or to a revenue officer notified by the Government in the Official Gazette to be the appellate authority;

(e) if such an order is passed by a Survey and Settlement Officer, to the Director of Settlement and Land Records or to a revenue officer notified to be the appellate authority; and1221 OFFICIAL GAZETTE — GOVT. OF GOA SERIES I No. 23 (SUPPLEMENT) 04TH SEPTEMBER, 2026 (f) if such an order is passed by the Inspector of Surveys and Land Records, to the Superintendent of Surveys and Land Records.

(2) A second appeal shall lie against any order passed in first appeal:

(a) if the first appeal was filed under Clause (a) of sub-section (1), to the Collector;

(b) if the first appeal was filed under Clause (b) of sub-section (1), to the Tribunal;

(c) if the first appeal was filed under Clause (d) of sub-section (1), to the Director of Settlement and Land Records or to a Revenue Officer notified by the Government in the Official Gazette to be the second appellate authority; and

(d) if the first appeal was filed under Clause (e) or (f) of sub-section (1), to the Tribunal.

Section 199. Power to make rules.— (1) The Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules for carrying into effect the provisions of this Code.

(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing provision, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters:—

(i) under Section 4, appointment of other village officers, and servants;

(ii) under Section 8, the registers, accounts and other records to be kept by the village officers;

(iii) under Section 9, the powers and duties to be performed by the officers specified in Clauses (b), (d), (e), (f) and (g) of Section 4;

(iv) under Section 21, rules for the disposal of land belonging to or vesting in the Central Government;

(v) under sub-section (1) of Section 22, rules for the disposal of alluvial land;

(vi) under sub-section (4) of Section 24, the premium to be paid;

(vii) under Section 26, the rules subject to which the Collector may lease under grant or contract any unoccupied land;

(viii) under Section 31, the rules subject to which the Collector or survey officer may regulate or prohibit the use of land for other purposes and summarily evict any holder who uses such land for such prohibited purpose;

(ix) under sub-section (1), of Section 32 the form of application for permission to convert the use of land from one purpose to another; under Clause (c) of sub-section (2), of Section 32 the rules subject to which permission for change of user may be granted. by the Collector; and under sub-section (3), of Section 32 the conditions subject to which the permission for change of user shall be deemed to have been granted under sub-section (5), of Section 32 the rules prescribing the fine penalty which the defaulter shall be liable to pay; and under sub-section (6) of Section 32 the form in which sanad shall be granted to the holder for non-agricultural use;

(x) under sub-section (1) of Section 33, the rules prescribing the fine penalty to be paid as penalty for using land without permission;

(xi) under Section 35, the rules subject to which the Collector may regularize the non-agricultural use of any land;

(xii) under sub-section (9) of Section 36, the rules to regulate the extraction and removal of minor minerals;

(xiii) under Section 38, the rules subject to which the land shall be granted to the encroacher;

(xiv) under Section 46, rules subject to which holding shall be disposed of;

(xv) under Section 50, the rules subject to which a holder of land shall be entitled to decrease of' assessment;

(xvi) under sub-section (2), of Section 51, rules according to which the assessment may be altered;

(xvii) under Section 52, the rules in accordance with which reduction, suspension or remission of land revenue in any area may be granted;

(xviii) under Section 60, the rules in accordance with which the records of the area and assessment of survey numbers and sub-divisions thereof shall be maintained;

(xix) under Section 61, the rules in accordance with which the Collector may divide the holding and apportion assessment thereof and the limits of area of land revenue below which partition may be rejected;

(xx) under Section 66, the rate of survey fee;

(xxi) under Section 67, the form of sanad;

———♦———

LA/LEGN/2026/1627 The following bill which was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa on 31st August, 2026 is hereby published for general information in pursuance of Rule-138 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Goa Legislative Assembly.

________

The Goa Legislative Diploma No. 2070 dated 15-4-1961

(Amendment) Bill, 2026

(Bill No. 51 of 2026)

A

BILL

further to amend the Legislative Diploma No. 2070 dated 15-4-1961, in its application to the State of Goa.

BE it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa in the Seventy-seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:-

1. Short title and commencement.— (1) This Act may be called the Goa Legislative Diploma No. 2070 dated 15-4-1961 (Amendment) Act, 2026.

(2) It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 10th day of April, 2026.

2. Amendment of Article 372-B.— In Article 372-B of the Legislative Diploma No. 2070 dated 15-4-1961 (hereinafter referred to as the "principal Act"),— in Clause (3) and (16), for the words "six months", the words "eighteen months" shall be substituted.

3. Repeal and Savings.— (1) The Goa Legislative Diploma No. 2070 dated 15-4-1961 (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 (Ordinance No. 3 of 2026) is hereby repealed.

(2) Notwithstanding such repeal, anything done or any action taken under the principal Act, as amended by the said Ordinance, shall be deemed to have been done or taken under the principal Act, as amended by this Act.

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

Article 372-B was inserted in the Legislative Diploma No. 2070 dated 15-4-1961 with the objective for providing a one-time measure for regularization of encroachment made on comunidade land, by constructing a dwelling house by a landless person prior to 28/02/2014. The provision was enacted to1223 OFFICIAL GAZETTE — GOVT. OF GOA SERIES I No. 23 (SUPPLEMENT) 04TH SEPTEMBER, 2026 address the long-standing concerns of such occupants who have been residing in Goa for a considerable period and whose dwelling house constitute their only place of residence. While the said provision safeguards the ownership rights of the Comunidade by ensuring that the benefits of regularization is confined to the extent specified under the law, the comunidade is compensated adequately and the excess land occupied by such occupants is reverted to comunidade.

The period prescribed for submission of application under said Article 372-B was 6 months. However, it has been observed that a significant number of eligible persons could not apply within the stipulated time period due to various constraints.

The Bill, therefore, seeks to amend Article 372-B to extend the existing time period of six months for filing applications to eighteen months and accordingly amend Clause (3) and (16) of Article 372-B.

The Bill also seeks to repeal the Goa Legislative Diploma No. 2070 dated 15-4-1961 (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, promulgated by the Governor of Goa on 10/04/2026.

This Bill seeks to achieve the above objects.

FINANCIAL MEMORANDUM

No Financial implications are involved in this Bill.

MEMORANDUM REGARDING DELEGATED LEGISLATION

No delegated legislation is envisaged in this Bill.

Porvorim-Goa. 31/08/2026

ATANASIO MONSERRATE Minister for Revenue

Assembly Hall, Porvorim, Goa. 31/08/2026.

NAMRATA ULMAN Secretary to the Legislative Assembly of Goa.

ANNEXURE

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Extract of Article 372-B of the Legislative Diploma No. 2070 dated 15-4-1961

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"372-B. Regularization of encroachment for unauthorized construction of dwelling house.— (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Code, the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968 (Act 9 of 1969), the Goa Town and Country Planning Act, 1974 (Act 21 of 1975), the Goa Land (Prohibition on Construction) Act, 1995 (Goa Act No. 20 of 1995), the Goa (Regulation of Land Development and Building Construction) Act, 2008 (Goa Act 6 of 2008), the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations, 2010, the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968 (Act 7 of 1969), the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 (Goa Act 14 of 1994), the City of Panaji Corporation Act, 2002 (Goa Act 1 of 2003) or any other State law for the time being in force, where any person has carried out unauthorized construction of a dwelling

house, before the 28th day of February, 2014, on a land belonging to the Comunidade, without such land being lawfully granted to him as per the provisions of this Code, the grant/allotment of such encroached land may be regularised by such officer, not below the rank of Senior Scale Officer of the Goa Civil Service, as may be authorised by the Government by a notification in the Official Gazette, by passing an order of regularization of grant/allotment of such land, subject to such conditions as may be specified by him, upon an application being made by the applicant and upon depositing by him with the authorised officer compensation amount, to be paid to the concerned Comunidade, at such rate as may be specified by the Government by an order published in the Official Gazette. For deciding such application the authorized officer shall follow the procedure as specified in Clauses (5) and (13):

Provided that the authorised officer shall not entertain any application under clause (1), if the land upon which such dwelling house has been unauthorisedly constructed falls within the limits of the agricultural land held by a tenant under the Goa Agricultural Tenancy Act, 1964 (Act 7 of 1964), protected forest, area declared as a wild life sanctuary, area covered under the Coastal regulation zone where such

construction has been carried out after the 19th day of February 1991, No Development Zone, open spaces, areas covered under Eco Sensitive Zone-I, Khazan land, road set back or right of way or any construction which causes obstruction to any natural water channel or any structure which is constructed by filling water bodies, or areas other than orchard land or cultivable land covered under Eco Sensitive Zone-II.

Explanation.— (i) "Eco Sensitive Zone-I" means Eco Sensitive Zone-I as classified in Regional Plan 2021.

(ii) "Eco Sensitive Zone-II" means Eco Sensitive Zone -II as classified in Regional Plan 2021:

Provided further that the authorised officer may entertain an application under Clause (1), if the land upon which such dwelling house has been unauthorisedly constructed falls within the limits of the area covered under Settlement Zone, Institutional Zone, Industrial Zone, Cultivable Zone or Orchard.

(2) The total extent of land to be regularized under this article shall comprise of only plinth area of dwelling house and area adjoining to such dwelling house upto two meters on all sides from its outer walls, if available. In no case the authorised officer shall regularize land exceeding 300 square meters:

Provided that where the encroached area exceeds the above permissible limit, the authorised officer shall not pass an order of regularisation of land unless the applicant surrenders the excess encroached area to the Administrator and the Administrator takes possession of the same for handing it over to the concerned Comunidade:

Provided further that where more than one dwelling house exists in close proximity and it is not feasible to allocate two meters of surrounding land from the outer walls to each such dwelling house, the available land shall be apportioned proportionately amongst them.

(3) The Application referred in Clause (1) shall be made to the authorised officer within a period of six months from the date of coming into force of the Goa Legislative Diploma No. 2070 dated 15-4-1961 (Amendment) Act, 2025 in such form, accompanied by such documents and such fees as prescribed.

(4) The authorised officer shall dispose of such application within a period of six months from the date of its receipt:

Provided that for calculating the said period of six months, the period from the date of filing of appeal under Clause (10) and/or revision under Clause (12), if any, upto disposal of such appeal and/or revision shall not be taken into consideration.

(5) The authorised officer shall not decide on such application for regularisation unless applicant furnishes,—

(i) the explicit consent for regularisation of land of the concerned Comunidade given through its Attorney, or

(ii) the deemed consent for regularisation of land as,—

(a) certified by the Administrator under Clause (9), or

(b) confirmed by the Administrator in appeal under Clause (10), or

(c) decided by the Government in revision under Clause (12).

(6) For the purpose of obtaining consent of the Comunidade for regularisation of grant of land upon which the applicant has carried out unauthorised construction of a dwelling house, he shall make an application to the concerned Comunidade in such form as prescribed immediately upon making application under Clause (1). The Comunidade shall not unreasonably or arbitrarily withhold or refuse its consent.

(7) The Comunidade shall take a decision on the request made in the application under Clause (6) within a period of thirty days from the date of receipt of such application.

(8) Where the Comunidade refuses to give its consent, it shall within a period of fifteen days from the date of decision of such refusal, communicate its decision in writing to the applicant and also to the Administrator, clearly stating the reasons for such refusal.

(9) If the Comunidade fails to,—

(i) take a decision on the application within the time limit specified in Clause (7); or

(ii) communicate its decision in writing to the applicant about refusal of consent or otherwise within the time limit specified in Clause (8),

after expiry of forty-five days from the date of receipt of such application by the Comunidade, the consent shall be deemed to have been given and the applicant shall make an application to the Administrator, who shall, within a period of thirty days from the date of receipt of such application, issue a certificate in such form as prescribed confirming that the consent of the concerned Comunidade as deemed to have been given.

(10) Where the Comunidade refuses to give its consent, the applicant may prefer an appeal to the Administrator within a period of thirty days from the date of receipt of the communication of refusal from the Comunidade. The Administrator shall dispose of such appeal within a period of thirty days from the date of its receipt after hearing the applicant and the Comunidade.

(11) The Administrator may, while disposing of such appeal or otherwise, treat the consent of the concerned Comunidade as deemed to have been given in cases including but not limited to any of the following circumstances, and may accordingly pass an order confirming that the consent of the Comunidade is deemed to have been given,—

(i) where the applicant has been in continuous and peaceful possession of the dwelling house

unauthorisedly constructed on a land belonging to the Comunidade before the 28th day of February, 2014, without such land being lawfully granted to him as per the provisions of this Code, at least for a period of twelve years and no legal proceedings have been initiated by the Comunidade in respect of such encroachment during the said twelve year period since such encroachment; or

(ii) where, without following the procedure as laid down in this Code, the Comunidade or any of the member of its Managing Committee has,—

(a) issued a no objection certificate or any other document conveying consent to the applicant for occupation and/or use of the said land before construction of such dwelling house; or

(b) accepted any payment from the applicant as compensation in respect of the land encroached by the applicant and deposited the said amount in the coffers of the concerned Comunidade.

(12) Any person aggrieved by the decision of the Administrator may file a revision application before the Government. The Government shall dispose of such revision application within a period of sixty days from the date of its filing.

(13) Upon receipt of,—

(i) the explicit consent of the concerned Comunidade given through its Attorney, or

(ii) the deemed consent as,—

(a) certified by the Administrator under Clause (9), or

(b) confirmed by the Administrator in appeal under Clause (10), or

(c) decided by the Government in revision under clause (12),

the authorized officer shall issue a notice to the Attorney of the concerned Comunidade directing him to submit his reply within a period of fifteen days from the date of receipt of such notice. If no reply is received within the said period, it shall be presumed that the Comunidade has no objection for1226 OFFICIAL GAZETTE — GOVT. OF GOA SERIES I No. 23 (SUPPLEMENT) 04TH SEPTEMBER, 2026 regularisation of grant of such land to the applicant. After submission of reply by the Attorney within the said period of fifteen days or on failure to submit reply within the said period of fifteen days, whichever is earlier, the authorised officer shall scrutinize the application received under clause (1) and after holding such enquiry as he deems fit, decide such application by passing an appropriate order.

(14) No such land the grant of which is regularized by the authorized officer by passing an order under Clause (13) shall be sold, assigned or otherwise transferred to any person till the expiry of a period of twenty years from the date of such order except by way of gift in favour of a family member of the applicant.

(15) Once the land on which the dwelling house exists is regularized under the provisions of this article, the applicant may make an application under the Goa Regularisation of Unauthorized Construction Act, 2016 (Goa Act 20 of 2016) for the purpose of regularization of such dwelling house in accordance with the provisions contained therein.

(16) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Code or any other law for the time being in force or any Judgment/Decree/Order of any court, no such dwelling house which has been unauthorisedly

constructed on a land belonging to the Comunidade, before the 28th day of February, 2014, without such land being lawfully granted as per the provisions of this Code, shall be demolished till the expiry of six months from the date of coming into force of the Goa Legislative Diploma No. 2070 dated 15-4-1961 (Amendment) Act, 2025 and in case any application is filed under Clause (1) within the time limit specified in Clause (3), then such dwelling house shall not be demolished till disposal of such application.

(17) If no application is filed within the time limit specified in Clause (3) or if such application so filed is rejected, the Administrator shall initiate action against such dwelling house in accordance with law.

(18) No suit, prosecution or other legal proceeding shall lie against the Authorized Officer, Administrator or any officer authorised by the Authorized Officer, in respect of anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done in pursuance of this article or of any rules or orders made thereunder.

(19) In case it is found that the applicant has obtained an order of regularisation on the basis of a false declaration or document,—

(a) the Authorized Officer shall revoke the order passed under Clause (1) and upon such revocation the land regularized or allotted, if any, shall stand reverted to the concerned Comunidade; and

(b) the applicant shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years and with fine which may extend to rupees one lakh.

(20) An offence punishable under this article shall be cognizable.

(21) No Court other than the Court of a Judicial Magistrate First Class shall take cognizance of, and try an offence under this article.

Explanation: For the purpose of this article,—

(a) "applicant" means a landless person, who has constructed a dwelling house, before the 28th day of February, 2014, on a land belonging to the Comunidade, without such land being lawfully granted to him as per the provisions of this Code, and who has been a resident of Goa for a period of not less than fifteen years immediately preceding the said date and includes his family members in case of his death but does not include a person or his family member who owns a plot of land, house, flat or apartment or an undivided share in ancestral property which on the date of making an application has been separately allotted to him;

(b) "authorised officer" means the officer as authorised by the Government under Clause (1);

(c) "dwelling house" means a house where the applicant or his family members reside with a fixed habitation and is exclusively used by him or his family members for the purpose of their dwelling and is allotted a number by the local authority;

(d) "family member" means the applicant's spouse, son and unmarried daughter and includes grandson, widowed daughter and widowed granddaughter.

LA/LEGN/2026/1628 The following bill which was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa on 31st August, 2026 is hereby published for general information in pursuance of Rule-138 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Goa Legislative Assembly.

________

The Goa Municipalities (Amendment) Bill, 2026

(Bill No. 53 of 2026)

A

BILL

further to amend the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968 (Goa Act 7 of 1969).

BE it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa in the Seventy-seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:-

1. Short title and commencement.— (1) This Act may be called the Goa Municipalities (Amendment) Act, 2026.

(2) It shall come into force at once except Clause (A) of Section 2 and Sections 3 and 4 which shall be deemed to have come into force on the 22nd day of April, 2026.

2. Amendment of Section 9.— In Section 9 of the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968 (Goa Act No. 7 of 1969) (hereinafter referred to as the "principal Act"), in sub-section (2),—

(A) in Clause (a),—

(i) in item (i),—

(a) for the figures "2500", the figures "3000" shall be substituted;

(b) for the words "voters in the municipal area" the word "population" shall be substituted;

(ii) in item (ii),—

(a) for the figures "2500", the figures "3000" shall be substituted;

(b) for the words "voters in the municipal area", the word "population" shall be substituted;

(B) in Clause (bb), for the words "shall be twenty seven percent" the words "may be twenty- seven percent" shall be substituted;

(C) after Clause (c), the following clause shall be inserted namely:—

"(d) For the purpose of determining the number of seats under Clauses (b) and (c) above a "fraction of such proportion, if less than one- half shall be ignored and if one- half or more shall be reckoned as one".

3. Substitution of Section 10.— For Section 10 of the principal Act, the following Section shall be substituted, namely:—

"10. Division of Municipal areas into wards and reservation of wards.— (1) Upon issuance of the order under sub-section (2) of Section 9, the State Election Commission shall, by order published in the Official Gazette, fix for each or any municipal area, the number of the wards into which such area shall be divided.

(2) The State Election Commission shall thereafter undertake the exercise of delimitation of the wards so specified in each or any Municipal area within a period of 60 days from the date of publication of the order in the Official Gazette, under sub-section (1).

(3) The State Election Commission shall prepare a draft of delimitation of wards with respect to each or any municipal area and publish it in the Official Gazette inviting objections and suggestions from the public within a period of 30 days from the date of publication of draft of delimitation in the Official Gazette. The objections and suggestions received in writing shall be considered by the State Election Commission and a final notification of delimitation shall be issued by the State Election Commission in consultation with the Government, in respect of each or any municipal area within a period of 30 days from the last date for submitting such objections.

(4) An empirical data pertaining to political backwardness shall be obtained by the State Election Commission from the Goa State Commission for Backward Classes in respect of each or any municipal area and the wards, based on the final notification of delimitation issued under sub-section (3).

(5) Upon receipt of the data under sub-section (4) from the Goa State Commission for Backward Classes, the State Election Commission shall publish a draft of reservation of seats in the Official Gazette in respect of each or any municipal area inviting objections/suggestions from the public within a period of 30 days.

(6) Upon receipt of objections/suggestions in writing and considering the same the State Election Commission shall publish the final notification of reservation in the Official Gazette, in consultation with the Government, with respect to each or any municipal area, within a period of 30 days from the last date for submitting such objections.

(7) After expiry of 30 days from the date of publication of the final notification of reservation, the State Election Commission shall declare elections to each or any of the municipal area.

(8) Each of the ward shall elect only one Councillor.

(9) Every order/notification issued under sub-sections (1), (3) and (6) shall take effect, for the purpose of the ensuing general election, immediately following the date of such order/notification, as the case may be.

Explanation: In all cases where objections/suggestions from the public are invited, the same shall be submitted in writing, however, no opportunity of personal hearing shall be afforded to the parties.

(10) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prevent women or persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes or Other Backward Class for whom seats are reserved in any Council, from standing for election and being elected to any of the seats which are not reserved.".

4. Amendment of Section 11.— In Section 11 of the principal Act,—

(i) for sub-section (1), the following sub-section shall be substituted, namely:—

"(1) The electoral roll of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa prepared under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (Act 43 of 1950) and for the time being in force on such date as the State Election Commission may by general or special order notify in this behalf for such constituency of the Assembly or any part thereof as is included in the municipal area, shall be divided into different wards in the municipal area; and a printed copy of the roll so divided and authenticated by such officer shall be the list of voters for each ward. The ward lists shall collectively be deemed to be the municipal voters list.";

(ii) for sub-section (3), the following sub-section shall be substituted, namely:—

"(3) At least thirty days prior to the date of the notification for election, such officer shall keep open for public inspection at the municipal office and at such other places in the municipal area as the State Election Commission may fix, copies of the list of voters of each ward maintained under sub- section (2).".

5. Repeal and saving.— (1) The Goa Municipalities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 (Ordinance No. 4 of 2026) is hereby repealed.

(2) Notwithstanding such repeal, anything done or any action taken under the principal Act, as amended by the said Ordinance, shall be deemed to have been done or taken under the principal Act, as amended by this Act.

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

The Bill seeks to amend Clause (a) in sub-section (2) of Section 9 of the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968 (Goa Act 7 of 1969) so as to ensure fair election with proper representations of the people from the wards of the local bodies in accordance with the population in Municipal area.

The Bill also seeks to amend Clause (bb) of sub-section (2) of Section 9 of the said Act in view of judgement of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of K. Krishna Murthy, and Vikas Kishanrao Gawali (2021) 6 Supreme Court Cases 73 to bring clarity to the reservation of persons to the category of Other Backward Class due to empirical data pertaining to political backwardness.

The Bill further seeks to insert Clause (d) in sub-section (2) of Section 9 of the said Act in view of judgement of Hon'ble High Court of Bombay at Goa in Writ Petition No. 2920 and 2924 of 2025 (F) in the case of Mr. Manuel Borges and Mr. Moreno Carlos Rebelo, wherein the fraction less than 0.5 is ignored and hence the clarity in determining the number of seats in reservation when there is fraction has been incorporated.

The Bill also seeks to substitute Section 10 of the said Act so as to provide time for public participation in completion of election process in a time bound manner at different stage, from division of Municipal areas to the reservation of seats by calling objection/suggestion from the public within the stipulated period before publishing the final Notification. Also it provides for procedure and time in respect of empirical data in respect of political backwardness, thereby conducting Election in free and fair manner, transparent and public participation.

The Bill also seeks to amend Section 11 of the said Act to consider the electoral roll of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa prepared under the provision of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (Act 43 of 1950) for the conduct the Municipal election under this Act.

The Bill also seeks to repeal the Goa Municipalities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 (Ordinance No. 4 of 2026) promulgated by the Governor of Goa on 22/04/2026.

This Bill seeks to achieve the above objects.

FINANCIAL MEMORANDUM

No Financial implications are involved in this Bill.

MEMORANDUM REGARDING DELEGATED LEGISLATION

No delegated legislation is envisaged in this Bill.

Porvorim-Goa. 26/08/2026

VISHWAJIT P. RANE Minister for Urban Development

Assembly Hall, Porvorim, Goa. 26/08/2026.

NAMRATA ULMAN Secretary to the Legislative Assembly of Goa.

ANNEXURE

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Extract of The Goa Municipalities Act, 1968 (Act 7 of 1969)

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9. Composition of Councils. (1) Save as otherwise provided by this Act, every Council shall consist of Councillors elected at ward elections;

Provided that—

(1) in every Council, no less than (1/3) seats shall be reserved for women;

(2) in every Council, seat shall also be reserved for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Class and for woman belonging to Scheduled Caste, as the case may be, the Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Class as provided Class as provided in sub-section (2).

(2) The State Election Commission in consultation with the Government shall from time to time by an order published in the Official Gazette fix for each municipal area—

(a) the number of elected Councillors in accordance with the following table:

Number of elected Councillors

Class of Municipal area

(i) 'A' Class The minimum number of elected Councillors shall be "[20], and (for every "[2500] of the "[voters in the municipal area) or part thereof) above 50,000 there shall be one additional elected Councillor, so, however, that the total number of elected Councillors shall not exceed [25];

(ii) 'B' Class The minimum number of elected Councillor shall be "[12], and {for every [2500] of the "[voters in the municipal area] or part thereof) "[above 10,000] there shall be one additional elected Councillor, so, however, that the total number of elected Councillors shall not exceed"[20];

(iii) the figure in (i) and (ii) shall be odd, if possible.

(iv) 'C' Class The number of elected Councillors shall be 10.

(b) the number of seats, if any, to be reserved for the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes or the Other Backward Class so that such number shall bear, as nearly as may be, the same proportion to the number of elected Councillors as the population of the Scheduled Castes or of the Scheduled Tribes or Other Backward Class in the municipal area bears to the total population of that area and not less than one-third of such seats shall be reserved for women and such seats shall be allotted by rotation to different wards in the Council.

(bb) the number of seats, if any, to be reserved for persons belonging to the category of Other Backward Classes so that such number shall be twenty seven percent of the number of seats to be filled in through section in the Council and such seats shall be allotted by rotation to different wards in the Council.

(c) the number of seats for the office of Chairperson in the Council for Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and women so that such number will bear as nearly as may be, the same proportion to the number of elected Councillors as the population of the [Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribe in the municipal area bears to the total population of that area and such seats shall be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in a Council.]

(3) The reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made by an order under sub- section (2) shall cease to have effect when the reservation of seats for those Castes and Tribes in the House of the People ceases to have effect under the Constitution of India:

Provided that nothing in this sub-section shall render any person elected to any such reserved seat ineligible to continue as a Councillor during the term of office for which he was duly elected by reason only of the fact that the reservation of seats has so ceased to have effect.

(4) Every order under sub-section (2) shall take effect for the purposes of the next general election of the Council immediately following after the date of the order.

10. Division of municipal area into wards and reservation of wards for women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Class].— (1) The State Election Commission in consultation with the Government shall from time to time by order published in the Official Gazette, fix for each municipal1231 OFFICIAL GAZETTE — GOVT. OF GOA SERIES I No. 23 (SUPPLEMENT) 04TH SEPTEMBER, 2026 area the number and the extent of the wards into which such area shall be divided. The State Election Commission in consultation with the Government shall specify in the order the ward in which a seat is reserved for women but in so doing he shall ensure that such a seat its reserved for women but in so doing he shall ensure that such a seat its reserved from time to time by rotation in different wards of the municipal area. He shall by a like order specify the wards in which seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes or the Other Backward Class, including the seats for offices of Chairperson having regard to the concentration of population of those Castes, or Tribes, or as the case may be, of those class, in any particular wards:

Provided that such order be issued at least seven days before the date of notification of the general election.

(2) Each of the wards shall elect only one Councillor.

(3) Every order issued under sub-section (1) shall take effect for the purpose of the next general election immediately following the date of such order.

(4) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prevent women or persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes or Other Backward Class for whom seats are reserved in any Council, from standing for election and being elected to any of the seats which are not reserved.

11. List of voters.— (1) The electoral roll of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa prepared under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and for the time being in force on such date as the State Election Commission may by general or special order notify in this behalf (being a date not earlier than one month from such notification for such constituency of the Assembly or any part therof as is included in the municipal area, shall be divided into different sections corresponding to the different wards in the area; and a printed copy of each section of the roll so divided and authenticated by such officer shall be the list of voters for each ward. The ward lists shall collectively be deemed to be the municipal voters' list.

(2) Such officer shall maintain the lists of voters prepared under sub-section (1) and the lists so maintained shall be deemed to be the authentic lists for all elections under this Act.

(3) At least ten days before the last date fixed for nomination of candidates for every general election, such officer shall keep open for public inspection at the municipal office and at such other places in the municipal area as the State Election Commission may fix, copies of the list of voters of each ward maintained under sub-section (2).

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