Marital Status No Bar For Child's Caste Certificate

Govt Response Came On A Plea That Questioned The Capital's Policy That Allowed OBC Certificates To Be Issued To Any 'Paternal Blood Relative'

- Abraham Thomas

NEW DELHI: Children of single mothers from other backward classes should be entitled to OBC certificates irrespective of the parents' marital status, the Centre has told the Supreme Court, adding that it was for the states to initiate the process.

The response of the Centre came on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by retired Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) school teacher Santosh Kumari who questioned the capital's policy that allowed OBC certificates to be issued to any "paternal blood relative".

The petition sought a nationwide policy to ensure such certificates are issued to children of single mothers belonging to OBC category, regardless of whether they are separated or divorced.

The response filed by the department of social justice and empowerment, Government of India, said, "The central government is of the view that any child born to an OBC parent, whether the parents are separated or divorced, should be entitled to an OBC caste certificate based on the credentials of either the OBC father or the OBC mother, depending on who has custody or is actively raising the child."

The extension of such benefits, it added, would require a "comprehensive re-evaluation of the criteria governing OBC classification, which are rooted in indicators of social and educational backwardness rather than merely lineage or parentage."