  We present long-slit spectroscopic observations of 40 Galaxy On Top Of
Quasars (GOTOQs) at ${0.37 \leqslant z \leqslant 1.01}$ using the South African
Large Telescope. Using this and available photometric data, we measure the
impact parameters of the foreground galaxies to be in the range of 3$-$16 kpc
with a median value of 8.6 kpc. This is the largest sample of galaxies
producing MgII absorption at such low impact parameters. These quasar-galaxy
pairs are ideal for probing the disk-halo interface. At such impact parameters,
we do not find any significant anti-correlation between rest equivalent width
(REW) of CaII, MnII, FeII, MgII, and MgI absorptions and impact parameters.
These sight lines are typically redder than those of strong MgII absorbers,
with the color excess, E(B$-$V) for our sample ranging from $-$0.191 to 0.422,
with a median value of 0.058. In the E(B$-$V) vs. W$_{3935}$ plane, GOTOQs
occupy the same region as CaII absorbers. For a given E(B$-$V), we find larger
W$_{3935}$ than what has been found in the Milky Way, probably due to a smaller
dust-to-gas ratio in GOTOQs. Galaxy parameters could be measured for twelve
cases, and their properties seem to follow the trends found for strong MgII
absorbers. Measuring the host galaxy properties for the full sample using HST
photometry or AO-assisted ground-based imaging is important to gain insights
into the relationship between the stellar mass of galaxies and the metal line
REW distributions at low impact parameters.
