Stepfather’s Name Permitted in Child’s Birth Certificate, Biological Father’s Name Not Necessary in Today’s World: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court has directed the municipal authorities to issue an addendum to a minor child's birth certificate incorporating the name of his stepfather and consequentially altering the child's surname, holding that the change was necessary in the best interest of the minor child. Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury observed that in contemporary society, retaining the biological father's name in the birth register is not necessarily required and that a…