Married Women Surname Change: Centre Says NOC Must!

The practice of women changing their surnames after marriage has been followed for a long time. Of late, we are seeing women changing the status quo and keeping their surname even after marriage. In some cases, they would add their original surname after tying the knot.

The Union Government made sensational comments on this and said that if a married woman wants to change her surname then she needs a no-objection certificate (NOC) from her husband. The Centre said that with this possible legal issues can be avoided.

It is known that earlier this year the Union Government issued a notification saying that married women need NOC from their husbands to change their surname. The notification led to a big uproar from a few sections and a Delhi Woman moved the High Court challenging this.

The woman said that the notification on this is discriminatory and sought directives from the High Court against this. The petitioner is 40 years old. The same issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha and the Centre gave clarity.

In a written reply Junior Housing and Urban Affairs Minister, Tokhan Sahu said that the guidelines have been revised and married women should get an NOC from their spouses. He said that legal issues can be avoided with this.

Adding further the Minister said that changing a name means changing the person's identity. To avoid any possible issues the rule was brought and with this, the sanctity of gazette notifications can be maintained, he said.

The Union Government made its stand clear on the process of changing the maiden surname of a woman. The issue is pending in the High Court and the Court is yet to give the verdict. Amid this, the Union Government said that women should submit a NOC from their husbands if the surname needs to be changed.