Kerala High Court Names a Child as Separated Parents Fail to Reach Consensus

Thiruvananthapuram: A three-year-old child was named by the Kerala High Court recently, when her parents reach to an agreement to decide a name for her. The child’s birth certificate was nameless because of the tussle between the parents.

The High Court’s decision came in response to a petition filed by the mother, who sought to register a name for the child. “The absence of a name for the child is not conducive to the welfare or the best interests of the child. The welfare of the child demands it be given a name. Continued quarrels between the parents also do not augur well in the interests of the child,” a single bench of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas noted.

While the child’s mother wanted to name her ‘Punya,’ the father had chosen the name ‘Padma.’

Consequently, the court ordered that the child be named ‘Punya’, the name chosen by the mother, with the father’s name to be used as the surname.

“The name suggested by the mother, with whom the child is currently residing, must be given due importance, while the name of the father is also to be incorporated due to the absence of any dispute on the paternity,” the court declared.