Hyderabad couple wants no religion in son’s certificates

HYDERABAD: A couple from Nacharam approached the Telangana high court, seeking a directive to the authorities to issue birth and school leaving certificates to their son without mentioning about caste and religion. The court sought replies from the state and central governments within four weeks, asking them to respond to the contentions raised in a PIL that questioned insistence of authorities over furnishing the details of caste and religion of the applicants.
The PIL was filed by S Swaroopa and David.The petitioners are insisting that governments must formulate a policy to allow at least those willing people to remain casteless and religionless. “When the state itself has no caste and religion, why cannot it allow its people to remain so,” they wondered. The couple said they are facing several hurdles to get a birth certificate for their one-year-old son.
A bench of Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A Abhishek Reddy, while issuing notices to the secretary of Union HRD ministry, the registrar general and census commissioner, Telangana’s municipal administration and school education departments along with the commissioner of Kothakota municipality, asked them to reveal their stand on the plea of the couple.
The authorities at Kothakota municipality in Wanaparthy district, the couple contended, had refused to issue the birth certificate of their son without they first furnishing the details of caste and religion in the prescribed format. It was also brought to the notice of the court that there were instances in the past where certain petitioners secured admissions in schools without the need to specify the details.
But, they said even those couples are facing problems now as online formats are rejecting applications of those who do not furnish the information pertaining to religion and caste in the relevant columns.