The Practice of Family Law Implementation: An Analysis of Guardianship Appointment Petitions by Biological Parents

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Published: Oct 1, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15575/kh.v8i3.54267
Keywords:
Biological Parents, Indonesian Family Law, Judicial Practice, Legal Gap, Legal Guardianship

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Eneng Nuraeni
Department of Family Law, Faculty of Sharia and Law, UIN Sunan Gunung Djati, Bandung
Riyan Ramdani
Department of Family Law, Faculty of Sharia and Law, UIN Sunan Gunung Djati, Bandung

Abstract

This study examines a neglected phenomenon in Indonesian family law: guardianship petitions filed by biological parents whose guardianship rights already arise automatically under Article 47 of Law No. 1/1974. Rather than treating such petitions as ordinary procedural matters, the article identifies them as evidence of a structural disconnect between statutory parental authority and the documentary demands of administrative institutions. Using a juridical-normative approach with a socio-legal perspective, this study analyzes three Religious Court decisions through qualitative content analysis and comparative judicial reasoning. The findings suggest that inheritance-related transactions, legal-administrative representation, and the need for formal legal certainty primarily drive these petitions. The article's main contribution lies in showing that the practice is not simply a doctrinal anomaly, but a socio-legal symptom of a missing administrative bridge between legal status and institutional recognition. Across the cases examined, judges appear to resolve this gap pragmatically by invoking maslahah and the best interests of the child. These findings contribute to scholarship on law in books versus law in action in Indonesian Islamic family law and support the need for more coherent legislative and administrative reform.

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Vol. 8 No. 3 (2026): Khazanah Hukum
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Articles
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