Legal Relationship Between Illegitimate Children and Their Biological Father: the Analysis of Constitutional Court Decree No. 46/puu-viii/2010 in the Perspective of Civil and Islamic Law

In Indonesia, children born out of wedlock only have legal relationship or family lineage relationship with their mother and mother's family, not with their biological father and biological father's family. This provisions of law are arranged in Article 43 paragraph (1) of Marriage Law No. 1 of 1974 which is highly influenced by Shafi'ite School of Islamic jurisprudence. Through judicial review of Aisyah (Machica) Mochtar and her son named M. Iqbal Ramadhan, Constitutional Court has agreed to waive the provisions by means of the Decree Number 46/PUU-VIII/2010 with legal consideration that the concerned article contravenes the Constitution, then it creates new legal norm which states those children have legal relationship and family lineage with their mother and mother's family and also the man who is their father. The Decree sparks controversies concerning the term ‘children born out of wedlock' and ‘legal relationship' in the decree. Contrary to many law experts, the article argues that the term ‘children born out of wedlock' simply means children born from zina (adultery or fornication). Thus, ‘legal relationship' only refer to limited relationship between both parties