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2026 Supreme(Ker) 21

IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM
P.V.KUNHIKRISHNAN
Aayisha Muhsin W/o Ahmad Muhsin M. – Appellant
Versus
Principal Secretary, Principal Registrar General - Marriages (Common) – Respondent


Advocates Appeared:
For the Appellants : S. Vinod Bhat, Anagha Lakshmy Raman, V. Namitha, Gitanjali Sadan Pillai
For the Respondents: R. Rajpradeep, Prasudha S., P. Jeril Babu, Riyal Devassy, Sreedevi S.

Judgement Key Points

Certainly. Based on the provided legal document, here are the key points:

  1. The marriage was solemnized under the Special Marriage Act, 1954, on 27.01.2017, between the petitioner, originally named Sreeja S., and her husband, Ahmad Muhsin (!) .

  2. The petitioner changed her name to "Aayisha Muhsin" in 2023, with proper notification published in the Kerala Gazette, and this name change is reflected in various official documents such as her birth certificate, passport, Aadhaar card, driving license, PAN card, electoral ID, and her husband's passport (!) .

  3. The petitioner seeks to amend her marriage certificate to reflect her new name "Aayisha Muhsin" so she can apply for a family visa in the UAE, where her husband is employed. The marriage certificate was issued with her original name "Sreeja," and she requests a correction (!) .

  4. The relevant rules for marriage registration under the Rules 2008 specify that corrections in material particulars like name require prior sanction from the Registrar General and are generally limited to errors in form or substance, not major changes such as a complete name change (!) .

  5. The rules prohibit major amendments to the marriage register, including changing the name, unless the correction is due to an error or fraud. Since the petitioner’s name change is voluntary and not due to an error in the original entry, such a correction is considered a major change and not permissible under the rules (!) .

  6. The court acknowledged that while the rules restrict major amendments, it has the authority under extraordinary jurisdiction to do justice in specific cases, especially when it aligns with the wishes of the family and the petitioner’s desire to lead a happy married life (!) (!) .

  7. The court emphasized that there is no prohibition in Islamic customs or religion preventing the petitioner from retaining her original name "Sreeja" after converting to Islam. The petitioner’s name does not impede her religious practice or her marital relationship (!) (!) .

  8. The court noted that the husband is in the UAE and has not appeared before the court but is willing to appear online. The petitioner’s parents have no objection to her name change and support her decision (!) .

  9. Considering the circumstances, including the family’s wishes and the petitioner’s intent, the court exercised its extraordinary jurisdiction to permit the correction of the marriage register by adding an additional entry with the new name "Aayisha Muhsin" and issuing a corrected marriage certificate (!) (!) .

  10. The respondents are directed to incorporate the new name in the marriage register and issue a revised marriage certificate within one month of receiving a certified copy of the court judgment (!) .

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Table of Content
1. marriage was solemnized and petitioner changed her name. (Para 1 , 2 , 3 , 4)
2. rules on marriage certificate corrections discussed. (Para 5 , 6 , 7)
3. inquiry regarding husband's involvement in the petition. (Para 8 , 9)
4. extraordinary jurisdiction being considered for name change. (Para 10 , 11)
5. final ruling on allowing name change and issuing a new certificate. (Para 12 , 13)

JUDGMENT :

1. Sreeja S. fell in love with Ahmad Muhsin M. That is the beauty of secular India, where a person in one religion can marry a person following another religion. The marriage was solemnised on 27.01.2017 as per the Special Marriage Act, 1954 (for short ‘Act 1954’). That is the beauty of the Act 1954, which recognises marriages between interreligious couples without requiring conversion. Following the marriage on 27.01.2017, it appears that Sreeja intends to adopt her husband's Islamic faith. There is no issue or prohibition with that if it is a voluntary decision by Sreeja, made without coercion or compulsion by Ahmad Muhsin M., her husband. However, Sreeja also changed her name to “Aayisha Muhsin” in 2023 (approximately 6 years after her marriage), a name commonly used by Mus

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