EVERY CHILD HAS A RIGHT TO CHOOSE HER MOTHER'S NAME AS THE SURNAME - DELHI HC

Recently, the Delhi High Court observed that every child has a right to choose her mother's name as the surname. The Court disposed of a plea filed by a father who sought directions to reflect his name in his minor daughter's surname and not the mother's name.

Justice Rekha Palli, while declining the plea said that "the father does not own his daughter to dictate that she should not only use his surname". If the minor daughter wants to use her mother's surname, what is your problem?

Advocate appearing for the Petitioner argued that as the daughter is a minor she does not decide these things. Her name was changed from Shrivastava to Saxena by the father's estranged wife. He further said that changing the surname will make it difficult to claim the LIC insurance amount.

After hearing the petitioner, Justice Rekha Patil concluded that the petitioner does not have merit and therefore declined to entertain the plea. However, the Petitioner was given liberty to visit the minor daughter's school and show his name as the father.

Author: Papiha Ghoshal