'What's In A Name': Quoting Shakespeare, Rajasthan High Court Says Mother Has Every Right To Have Her Name On Child's Academic Record

Quoting playwright William Shakespeare quote “What's in a name?” from “Romeo and Juliet”, Rajasthan High Court while underscoring that a name is everything said that it was the foundation of one's legal, social and emotional identity and hence a mother being 'birth giver' has every right to get her name recorded in her children's academic records. Justice Anoop Kumar Dhand in its order said:"In the world famous play “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, there is a famous quote “What's in a name?” Showing the importance of the name it has been said that it conveys the natural characteristics of an individual which is more important than his/her artificial/acquired characteristics. A name is the first gift most of us receive from our parents. It becomes the foundation of our legal, social and emotional identity. To name someone is to recognize their presence in the world and to be nameless, in many ways, is to be invisible. Names reflect who we are and where we came from. “To mispronounce, ignore or intentionally change someone's name is to deny them their identity. From birth certificates to passports, academic records to professional achievements etc. a name is legal marker of existence. Losing or altering it whether through errors, migration or force can lead to struggles, in asserting identity and rights. The denial of one's name can be a denial of personhood. So what's in a name is everything...Mother plays a key role in fostering a child's reputation, empathy and social skills. The bond between a mother and her child is special one. It remains unchanged by time or distance. It is the purest love, unconditional and true. It is the mother who gives birth to a child, therefore, she has every right to get her name on the academic testimonial of her children". The Court highlighted that prior to 2001, there was no concept of adding mother's name in children's educational records, which was not only unjustifiable but also clearly retrogressive. Hence, with the passage of time, it became mandatory to include the names of both the parents in their children's educational certificates and degrees. The Court was hearing a petition filed by a person whose application to get his mother's name corrected in his educational records of class 10th and 12th was rejected by the Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan Ajmer (“Board”). It was the case of the petitioner that in his educational records, instead of his mother's official name, her nick-name got mentioned by mistake. To get this corrected, he presented an application to the Board along with all supporting public documents reflecting the official name of his mother. However, the application was rejected by the Board. The Board submitted that the application was rejected since the procedure prescribed for such change was not followed by the petitioner. After hearing the contention, the Court directed the petitioner to file another application following the prescribed procedure, and the Board was directed to make the required correction pursuant to receiving fresh application from the petitioner.Both the parties were directed to complete the exercise within a period of 3 months. Accordingly, the petition was disposed of. Title: Chirag Naruka v the Chairman, Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan Ajmer & Ors. Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Raj) 185Click Here To Read/Download Order

'What's In A Name': Quoting Shakespeare, Rajasthan High Court Says Mother Has Every Right To Have Her Name On Child's Academic Record

Nupur Aggarwal

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