The Supreme Court will hear a case about allowing a child to get an OBC (Other Backward Class) certificate from their mother’s side.
Current rules ask for an OBC certificate from the father or paternal relatives, not the mother.
A 2012 case (Rameshbhai Dabhai Naika v. State of Gujarat) says the children of inter-caste couples are usually assumed to follow the father's caste, but this can be changed based on upbringing.
In a 2019 Delhi High Court case, a single SC (the Scheduled Caste) mother was denied caste certificates for her sons because they had not faced disadvantage.
In 2020, the Delhi High Court said that a child must show proof of facing caste-based disadvantage to claim the mother’s caste.
In 2024, the Gauhati High Court allowed an OBC certificate to a girl raised by her OBC mother, stating that caste identity is based on upbringing and social reality.
The Supreme Court may now decide on national rules for caste certificates in cases where the child is raised by a single mother.