Single mom moves HC, seeks birth certificate for her child without father’s name

A 31-year-old mother who had a daughter through a sperm donor has approached the High Court seeking a birth certificate for her child without the father’s name.

A Nalasopara resident, the single mother is not interested in disclosing the father’s name and has sought help from the Bombay high court for not being compelled to use the father’s name in the birth certificate.

Her advocate Uday Warunjika informed a bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Pradeep Deshmukh that the child is a test tube baby and the sperms were obtained from an unknown person.

The woman stated in her petition that she is unmarried and delivered a girl child in August 2016 adding that she is capable of taking care of the child.

However, the petition said that the name of the child’s father should not come on record.

A notice was sent to the BMC’s P North (ward office) which was acknowledged in December. Since the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had not communicated or given any decision in this regard, the petitioner has moved the HC which subsequently directed the BMC to reply to her petition.

Urging BMC to issue a birth certificate without the father’s name, she also asked for the record about the birth not be shared, disclosed, circulated or inspected.

The judges directed BMC to produce the birth record register at the next hearing in March while asserting that no further time will be given to it.