KALPETTA: Following an arduous 11-year legal battle that saw her overcoming intense emotional trauma, a Scheduled Tribe woman from Chulliyode in Wayanad has successfully established the paternity of her son on his birth certificate, delivering a major blow to systemic exploitation.
The woman’s prolonged legal ordeal began when the child was three years old and denied educational and financial benefits for years due to the inability to secure an Aadhaar card without an officially recognised father. According to the victim, the accused, identified as Thankappan, and his family, had allegedly resorted to intense intimidation and falsely recorded the child’s father’s name as “Biju”.
Now, following a landmark intervention by the Kerala High Court, facilitated by advocate Brijesh N Balakrishnan, Thankappan’s name has been legally added as the father, which enabled the boy to immediately obtain school transfer documents and secure admission to the fifth grade.
Sharing her happiness, the victim said, “There were times when I was stuck and confused as I did not know how to proceed. Finally, justice is served.” She revealed that Thankappan had earlier even coerced her to surrender the boy, then just a four-day-old infant, to Childline workers. However, within 40 days, she successfully reclaimed her baby from an orphanage in Vythiri.
However, despite conclusive court-ordered DNA evidence confirming paternity, Thankappan continues to deny his responsibility, protected by a wall of social and money influence, she said.
Wayanad-based tribal activist Ammini K, who championed the mother’s cause, highlighted that the case exposed a pervasive pattern of exploitation targeting vulnerable tribal communities. She disclosed that the accused, a non-tribal resident, had began a relationship with the victim on false promises of marriage.
She confirmed that the legal team is preparing to sue Thankappan for comprehensive defamation and the recovery of rightful compensation for both the mother and the child.