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...