Supreme Court notice to states, UTs on plea for mother's name on documents

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today sought responses from all states and union territories on a petition seeking that a child be identified by the name of his/her mother in all official documents and affidavits.

"This is towards women rights. This is a good subject and good for the day," a bench headed by Justice H L Dattu said while taking up the matter.

The apex court issued notices to all states and UTs on a petition filed by Madhav Kant Mishra, a journalist-turned- spiritual activist, which said the mandatory practice of filling up father's name in official documents should be made optional as "a mother's identity is certain and definite."

"In our male-dominated culture, a child is always identified by the name of his father in all his documents. A father's name is only on hear-say basis but the identity of a mother is always certain.

"But there is no law to identify the child with the name of his mother in India. It is known from where this practice of describing a person's identity through his father came into existence," the plea said.

It said that it was unfair and "against the basic law of nature" for a mother's name to be avoided in all respects.

"Disregarding the 'mother' while describing the identity of a person is arbitrary, unreasonable and illegal," the petition said.

It also said that in situations of matrimonial disputes and remarriage of mother, the writing of the father's name with the child may spoil the total future of the child.