MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has held that Muslim and Christian couples cannot directly register adoption deeds. Instead, they must follow the procedure under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

Justice GR Swaminathan, while hearing a plea filed by K Heerajohn of Madurai, noted that the JJ Act provides a secular and enabling framework that allows adoption by anyone, regardless of religion.

The case involved Heerajohn and his wife, Kadhan Beevi, who wanted to adopt their eight-year-old nephew, Mohammed Saleem, after the death of the child’s father. The boy’s mother, Amjad Beevi, had given her consent, but the Sub-Registrar refused to register the adoption deed, citing Islamic law, which does not recognise adoption as a legal institutio

See Full Page