Alteration of Child's Surname to Reflect Mother's Lineage Does Not Affect Father's Rights: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court delivered an important judgment recognizing the right of a minor child to adopt the surname of the mother when the mother is the sole caregiver. The case arose from a petition filed by a minor girl and her mother seeking correction in the child’s birth certificate. The child was born out of a live-in relationship between the mother and the biological father. At the time of…