The Federal Court, in a majority 4-3 decision, ruled that a Muslim child conceived out of wedlock cannot bear his father's name.
The seven-member bench led by Court of Appeal president Rohana Yusuf allowed partly the appeal brought by the National Registration Department (NRD), its director-general and the government to set aside the appellate court's decision.
The Court of Appeal, in 2017, held that a Muslim illegitimate child could bear his father's name instead of using "bin Abdullah".
