Karnataka High Court Permits Surname Change to Reflect Maternal Lineage on Birth Certificate

The Karnataka High Court allowed a mother to change her eight-year-old daughter's surname on the birth certificate to reflect the maternal lineage, recognizing the mother as the sole caregiver. The court ruled that the convention of using the father's surname is not a constitutional mandate and that including the mother's family name does not affect the father's legal rights. The decision arose from a case involving Nepalese parents in a live-in relationship, with the father having left the family. The court directed the registrar to issue a corrected birth certificate within four weeks, emphasizing the child's best interests.