Jaipur/Ahmedabad, Aug. 9: Tiny Manji was today issued a birth certificate, clearing the first hurdle in the way of her reunion with her Japanese father.

The Anand Municipal Corporation in Gujarat issued the two-week-old baby the certificate with only her genetic father Ikofusi Yamada’s name on it. Generally, the certificate also carries the mother’s name.

The child, born on July 25 of an Indian surrogate mother, can now apply for travel documents that Yamada will require to take her away to Japan.

Manji was left with no takers at Anand’s Akanksha IVF centre after Yamada and his wife Yuki divorced this June. The couple had come to the clinic nine months ago and signed a surrogacy contract.

Dr Nayna H. Patel, who oversaw Manji’s birth, said the problem over the birth certificate had arisen as the egg was from an anonymous Indian donor and surrogacy by another woman, Priti Patel. With Yuki refusing to take responsibility for the baby, her name could not be put on the birth certificate, holding things up.

But with Supreme Court lawyer Indira Jaisingh taking up Manji’s cause and Patel working on the Gandhinagar authorities, the AMC decided to make an exception.

Under the International Convention of the Rights of the Child, every child has the right to a birth certificate. In rare cases such as Manji’s, the Indian Council of Medical Research guidelines allow birth certificates to be issued with the name of the biological father only.

“Now that the certificate has been issued, Yamada can start procedures to get the passport and visa. I don’t think there should be a problem,” Patel said.

The certificate has been couriered to Jaisingh, said Sanjay Arya, in whose hospital the baby had recuperated from dehydration and septicaemia.

“We have allowed Manji to stay with her grandmother, who is now her sole guardian,” Arya said. Manji’s grandmother Emiko had sent a legal notice to the AMC to speed up the process of issuing the birth certificate. She has written to the Japanese embassy, seeking help with travel papers.

Yamada is expected here by next Thursday.