New Delhi/IBNS, Jan. 31 -- In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court has said the legal father of a child born out of a woman's extramarital affairs continues to be her husband despite biological evidence, media reports said.

In a prolonged debate over paternity and legitimacy, the top court on January 28 said the husband will be considered as the legal father if the woman has a valid marriage and the spouses have had access to each other.

Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan passed the order after the debate triggered by a case originating in Kerala.

The two judges examined the precedents in the United Kingdom, the United States and Malaysia.

The husband can challenge the legitimacy of the child only when he can prove that he did no...