Uttarakhand High Court Upholds Maintenance for Minor Children Despite Father’s Unemployment In a significant judgment, the Uttarakhand High Court reaffirmed that an able-bodied and qualified individual cannot evade the legal obligation to maintain minor children merely by pleading unemployment. The ruling emphasizes that voluntary or unsubstantiated unemployment cannot be used to avoid statutory responsibilities under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) . Case Overview: Dheeraj Kapoor v State of Uttarakhand and Ors & Ridhi Kapoor and Another v Dheeraj Kapoor Case No.: Criminal Revision No. 626 of 2022 Bench: Justice Alok Mahra The dispute arose from an application filed by the minor children through their mother, seeking maintenance. The Family Court, Haridwar awarded ₹6,500 per month to each child after considering the evidence and financial position of both parents. The father challenged this award, seeking a reduction, while the children sought enhancement. The...
Karnataka High Court: Child Can Adopt Mother’s Surname — Father’s Rights Not Affected The Karnataka High Court has delivered an important judgment affirming that a child can legally adopt the mother’s surname without affecting the father’s legal rights, particularly when the mother is the sole caregiver and the father is not involved in the child’s upbringing. The ruling was delivered by Justice Suraj Govindaraj in the case X & Anr. v. Chief Registrar Births and Deaths, Bengaluru & Anr. (Writ Petition No. 33465 of 2025) . The case involved a minor girl born out of a live-in relationship whose mother sought to change the child’s surname in the birth certificate from the father’s surname to her own family name. Key Observation by the Karnataka High Court The court clarified that changing a child’s surname does not affect the father’s legal rights as long as the father’s name continues to remain in the bi...