MEENA Vs. CORPORATION OF COCHIN

JUDGEMENT

(1.) From the averments made in the Writ Petition and the documents produced, it is certain that the petitioner had been delivered of a female child on 26.5.2004. She had been admitted in the Ernakulam Medical Centre, Palarivattom. Hospital authorities, as envisaged under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1969, reported the birth to the Cochin Corporation. It had been registered as No.2245 on 11.6.2004. The Certificate issued by the Health Supervisor, who is shown as the third respondent as 'Health Officer, Corporation of Kochi', is Ext. P1. The name of father is shown in the certificate as T. Ajith Kumar. The name of mother is shown as Meena Ajith Kumar. The name of the child is entered as Aardra Ajith Kumar Menon. There is no dispute that the Certificate conformed with the details supplied to the competent authority.

(2.) The certificate so issued was later found to suffering from discrepancies, which required to be corrected appropriately. The parents of the child are in possession of Passports issued by the Government of India. Therein, the name of the mother is shown as Thykoodathil Meena Ajith Kumar. The name of father, as recorded in his Passport, is Ajith Kumar Thykoodathil. The husband is a Non Resident Indian, working in the United Arab Emirates and the petitioner also was residing at Doha and had come for delivery and intends to go back shortly.

(3.) In common life, Ext. P1 would not have been objectionable, as by normal standards, the essential details stood incorporated. But, since the daughter's name is to be incorporated in the Passport, the entries as at present made are likely to lead to difficult situations. Entries in the Passport have to be extremely accurate, and because of the computer verification, at every stage of travel, innocent errors lead to problems. The apprehension is that Ajith Kumar Thykoodathil would not have been recognised as father of the child, since the birth certificate now shows the name of the father was T. Ajith Kumar. This is the case with regard to the entry of the mother's name as well. A change in the name in the Birth Certificate pertaining to them as well as the child therefore was solicited. A shorter name of Aardra Ajith Menon alone was decided as the name of the child for all purposes.