In a written reply, the ministry said it was the norm for Indian parents to add these abbreviations on the birth certificates of their children.

“According to the present procedure, the National Registration Department registers a child’s information based on the application form and an initial draft of the birth certificate that has been approved and signed by the applicant, before the actual certificate is issued.

“If the applicant does not want to use a/l and a/p, the department will ask the biological parents or the guardian to agree or not to agree to using the words on the child’s birth certificate.”

The ministry was responding to Sivarasa Rasiah (PKR-Subang), who had asked the home ministry to state if the department had made it compulsory for Indian parents to include a/l and a/p to the Hindu names on their children’s birth certificates.