New Delhi, Aug. 30 -- Kolkata; The Calcutta High Court has allowed a mother to alter her minor son's birth records to include the name of his stepfather, observing that in today's society it is no longer necessary in every case to retain the biological father's name in a child's records.
Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury, dealing with a petition by Barnali Ghosh (Karmakar), said the alteration was warranted in the "peculiar facts" of the case and was necessary in the best interest of the minor child.
The petitioner had married Subhankar Karmakar on April 25, 2012, and a son was born from the marriage. Their marriage was later dissolved by a divorce decree dated October 8, 2021. She subsequently married Rajesh Ghosh on March 6, 2022.
According to the petitioner, the child lives with her and her present husband, who jointly care for him. She claimed the biological father had absolved himself of his responsibilities and that retaining his name was having a psychological impact on the child. She therefore sought a fresh birth certificate carrying the child's present surname and the name of his stepfather.
The court directed the municipal authorities to issue an addendum to the existing birth certificate incorporating the stepfather's name and making the consequential change in the child's surname. The new document must mention the serial number and date of the earlier certificate.
Importantly, the court said the alteration would remain subject to the child's option to decide otherwise after
attaining majority.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.