The Telengana High Court has served notice to the Centre, the Registrar General, Census, Commissioner of Municipal Administration, Telangana and others on a petition seeking cancellation of caste and religion columns in birth certificates.
The petition has been filed by a couple named Swaroopa Ajjpagu and David Ajjpagu submitting that after a child was born to them on on March 23, 2019 at Kothakota in Wanaparthy district, they approached the Munipical Corporation of Kothakota to get the birth certificate of their child. However, they did not fill the religion and caste column of the application form for birth certificate.
Thereafter the petitioner submitted that since the religion and caste column was not mentioned in the application form, it was rejected by the Municipal authorities. The petitioners further pointed out that their marriage was solemnized without adhering to any traditions of religion or caste and hence they prayed that they be issued birth certificate without mentioning the caste or religion of the Child.
The petitioners have also pointed out that they approached the Municipal Commissioner of Kothakota to request the authorities to process their application form and requesting to accept the application form without caste or religion of the child. But, the municipal authorities instead asked the petitioners to get an order from the Secretariat Department of Municipal Administration. Having no other options the petitioners approached the Court.
The bench comprising of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A. Abhishek has posted the matter for next hearing after four weeks.
-India Legal Bureau