Moving towards liberal laws

The mother, who primarily looks after the children, should be listed as first guardian for all official purposes, a government panel has proposed. The panel has recommended review of all laws to make mothers equal guardians of their children. As of now, fathers are mentioned as the first guardian in all official documents, including birth certificates, school and college admission forms. The suggestion, if accepted, will ensure a woman’s first right over her child whether she is married or divorced, said a member of the panel.
Couples won’t have to state their religions during marriage registration if the Cabinet approves a proposal of the law ministry on Thursday. If allowed, it would make marriages religion-neutral, besides speeding along the registration process. One of the ministry’s suggestions is to amend the Births and Deaths Registration Act by adding a clause on marriages. The proposal says that since the infrastructure to register births and deaths is already in place in civic authorities, the registration of marriages could be easily handled by them.