Report No. 228

Indian Baby M case

1.15 Baby Manji Yamada v. Union of India, JT 2008 (11) SC 150 concerned production/custody of a child Manji Yamada given birth by a surrogate mother in Anand, Gujarat under a surrogacy agreement with her entered into by Dr Yuki Yamada and Dr Ikufumi Yamada of Japan. The sperm had come from Dr Ikufumi Yamada, but egg from a donor, not from Dr Yuki Yamada. There were matrimonial discords between the commissioning parents.

The genetic father Dr Ikufumi Yamada desired to take custody of the child, but he had to return to Japan due to expiration of his visa. The Municipality at Anand issued a birth certificate indicating the name of the genetic father. The child was born on 25.07 2008 and moved on 03.08.2008 to Arya Hospital in Jaipur following a law and order situation in Gujarat. The baby was provided with much needed care including being breastfed by a woman.

1.16 The grandmother of the baby Manji, Ms Emiko Yamada flew from Japan to take care of the child and filed a petition in the Supreme Court under article 32 of the Constitution. The Court relegated her to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights constituted under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act 2005. Ultimately, baby Manji left for Japan in the care of her genetic father and grandmother.