In X.Y.Z. & Anr. v. The State of Maharashtra & Ors., decided in February 2026 by the High Court of Judicature at Bombay (Aurangabad Bench), Justices Vibha Kankanwadi and Hiten S. Venegavkar addressed the rights of a child raised by a single mother. The petitioner, a 12-year-old girl born from a sexual offence, sought correction of school records to replace her father’s name with her mother’s and to change her caste entry from Maratha to “Scheduled Caste – Mahar.” Authorities had refused, citing lack of power under the Secondary School Code. The Court held that forcing a child to carry the name of an absent father violates dignity under Constitution of India, and that paternal lineage should not be imposed through patriarchal assumptions under Articles 14 and 15. Relying on Rameshbhai Dabhai Naika v. State of Gujarat, it ruled that caste depends on the child’s lived social environment, not merely biological descent. The Court quashed the rejection order, directed correction of the child’s name and caste in school records, allowed application for an SC certificate based on the mother’s status, and ordered protection of the child’s privacy and dignity.