Japanese Grandmother Seeks Migration of Surrogate Baby

"Senior officers have verbally told us that this child's identity certificate, which is also a travel document, can be issued. The travel document is issued to those people whose citizenship is not defined. This is the first kind of its case in Jaipur passport office," said S K Verma, Passport Officer, Jaipur.

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The Supreme Court of India had directed the Central Government to take a final decision on the fate of Manjhi within four weeks from the date of representation made by the baby's Japanese surrogate grandmother.

"With the decision of the Supreme Court, the Solicitor General has said that the travel documents should be issued within four weeks of application," said Sanjay Arya, the local Guardian of Manjhi.

"The decision was taken on September 29, the order came on October 3 and we have applied today but we don't think we will get the document within 10-15 days. The visa of the grandmother of the baby will expire on the 28th of this month, then it will be very difficult," added Arya.

The baby's parents Ikufumi Yamada, 45, and his then-wife Yuki Yamada, 41, had come to India a year ago and had hired the services of a surrogate mother in Ahmedabad, but during the pregnancy, the couple got divorced.

Soon after the baby was born, serial bombings took place in Ahmedabad and the baby was shifted to Jaipur, where she is being currently looked after at a hospital.

Source: ANI
RAS/SK