THE REPUBLIC vs. THE REGISTRAR OF BIRTHS & DEATHS EX PARTE: PHILIP K. AMOH AND URSULA AMOH [2017]DLHC5434

THE REPUBLIC vs. THE REGISTRAR OF BIRTHS & DEATHS EX PARTE: PHILIP K. AMOH AND... [2017]DLHC5434

Date	2017-09-05
Suit No.	SUIT NO.GJ/751/2017
Citation No.	[2017]DLHC5434

JUSTICE KWEKU T. ACKAAH- BOAFO

IRIS K. AGGREY-ORLEANS FOR THE APPLICANT

MS. ENID MARFUL SAU FOR THE RESPONDENT

[2017]DLHC5434
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE REGISTRAR OF BIRTHS &amp; DEATHS<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>EX PARTE:
PHILIP K. AMOH AND URSULA AMOH<o:p></o:p>(APPLICANTS)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT (GENERAL JURISDICTION DIVISION), ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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SUIT NO.GJ/751/2017&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DATE: 5TH
SEPTEMBER, 2017<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>IRIS
K. AGGREY-ORLEANS FOR THE APPLICANT <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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MS.
ENID MARFUL SAU FOR THE RESPONDENT <o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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DECISION<o:p></o:p>

</div>APPLICATION
ON NOTICE FOR JUDICIAL REVIEW IN THE NATURE OF MANDAMUS<o:p></o:p>i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Introduction/Overview:<o:p></o:p>[1]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
primary question for resolution in this legal objection is whether the Applicants
have filed the instant application for judicial review out of time pursuant to Order 55 Rule 3 of the High
Court Civil Procedure Rules, 2004 C.I. 47 and therefore their rights
have extinguished.<o:p></o:p>[2]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
facts of this case are free from complexity. On May 19, 2017 the Applicants
filed at the registry of this Court a Motion on Notice for Judicial Review pursuant
to Order 55 of the High Court Civil Procedure Rules, 2004 C.I. 47 for an order in
the nature of Mandamus to compel the
Registrar of Births and Deaths to register the birth of their son. The
contention of the Applicants is that following the birth of their son on June
4, 2016 at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital they chose to name him Nana Kwame
Boateng Amoh. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[3]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; From
the affidavit evidence on record, the Applicants say on September 13, 2016 “we attempted
to register the birth of our son…but the official in charge of the Birth and
Death Registration stationed at Legon hospital refused to register him”.
According to them, the Officer explained that he would not register the child
if the Applicants wanted to maintain “Nana” as part of his name. The official
insisted that they could only register the child as “Kwame Boateng Amoh”. The
record further shows that on September 20, 2016 the Applicants again attempted
to register their son at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital but again the Officer in
charge refused and insisted that they remove the “Nana” from the name. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>