Karnataka HC Orders BBMP to Change Deceased Woman’s Death Certificate From ‘Padma’ to ‘Swarnam’ After Civil Court Declaration

The petitioner sought to correct the deceased wife of S. Padmanabhan’s name in the death register from “Padma” to “Swarnam.”

After an earlier writ petition directed consideration of his representation, the petitioner brought O.S. No. 3914/2025. The civil court declared that her name was “Swarnam” and not “Padma,” dismissed the claim for mandatory injunction, and granted liberty to seek correction from the competent authority in accordance with specified High Court decisions.

The second respondent nevertheless rejected the petitioner’s subsequent request, stating that the correction was beyond its powers under Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. The petitioner challenged that endorsement in this writ petition.

Section 15 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 empowers correction of an entry in the register where it is erroneous in form or substance, or was made fraudulently; Rule 11 of the Karnataka Registration of Births and Deaths Rules, 1999 prescribes the procedure for examining such correction requests.

The Court also referred to W.P. No. 38423/2018 and W.P. No. 18803/2024, which the civil court had relied on for the proposition that a Registrar’s power under Section 15 extends to replacing a name in the relevant record.

The civil court, after contest and with the Chief Registrar represented, had declared that the deceased’s name was “Swarnam” and not “Padma,” while leaving the petitioner to approach the competent authority for correction.

The second respondent could not disregard that decree and reject the request on jurisdictional grounds without extending the opportunity inherent in the Rule 11 procedure.

Given the declaration and the liberty granted by the civil court, the Court considered a further enquiry an empty formality and directed the correction.

The correction was confined to the death-register entry and would not determine any issue concerning the petitioner’s asserted legacy.

The petitioner was permitted to submit a certified copy of the High Court order within two weeks of receiving it, and the second respondent was directed to correct the death register and issue a fresh death certificate recording the deceased’s name as “Swarnam” within six weeks of receipt.