In light of the problems being faced by parents in getting changes made to the names of their wards in birth certificates issued by the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC), the Dakshina Kannada district administration has approached the State government to amend the provisions of the Birth and Death Registration Act to enable the Registrar (Births and Deaths) at the MCC to make such changes.

“Presently, we do not have the provision to carry out name changes. Since this is creating a lot of problems for parents, we have sought the government to amend the existing provisions. We will follow it up at the State level,” Deputy Commissioner H.V. Darshan, who is also the Administrator of the MCC, told The Hindu.

Applications for changes in names in birth certificates are being turned down by MCC Central Zone Commissioner Anil Prabu, who has been designated as the Registrar (Births and Deaths) for the Corporation.

Mr. Prabhu has maintained that under Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, he can only correct clerical mistakes and is not empowered to make substantial changes in the name of a child in the birth register.

Applicants are being asked to file civil suits in local courts seeking name changes. They are spending between ₹1,500 and ₹4,000 on filing original suits. These suits are being rejected by one civil court in Mangaluru on the grounds of lack of jurisdiction.

In a 2025 judgment on a writ petition, the Karnataka High Court said the State legislature has so far not taken any action on the recommendation of the Law Commission of Karnataka in its 24th report in 2013 for the insertion of Section 15A in the Act to enable change of name at the desire of the applicant, or on marriage, or for any other reason.

Until the amendment is carried out, the High Court had said the Registrar can dispose of applications by following the guidelines it has laid down. It said the Registrar can make changes in the name through an endorsement in the birth register stating that it is being done at the request of the parent. The High Court had further stated that the parent concerned should submit an affidavit along with the application, stating that the name change is being made on their own accord.

Mr. Darshan said there is presently no provision for inclusion of both the old name and the new name in the birth register. “Hence, we have asked the State to make the provision, in pursuance of the 2025 High Court order,” the DC said.

He said the district administration is also aware of another High Court judgment from 2025 that has barred civil courts from dealing with suits related to name changes. The High Court has said that correction of names is an administrative matter specifically assigned to the Registrar under Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, and that civil courts should not be burdened with original suits. Based on this judgment, a civil court in Mangaluru has rejected civil suits related to name changes.