Delhi High Court Deliberates on Transgender Identity in Official Records

The Delhi High Court is reviewing how transgender names are documented in educational and official records. This examination, sparked by petitions, involves the University of Delhi, CBSE, and seeks to influence various official documents. The court has included the Ministry of Social Justice in the proceedings and demands an affidavit within six weeks.

The Delhi High Court has requested the central government's stance on how transgender persons' names should be reflected in educational records, following updates in transgender law. This issue has arisen through petitions regarding misidentification in records maintained by institutions like the University of Delhi and the CBSE.

A bench consisting of justices Prathiba M Singh and Madhu Jain highlighted that this issue could extend to a range of official documents, including birth and death certificates, passports, and Aadhaar cards. Consequently, the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment was added to the proceedings as a respondent.

The court emphasized the necessity to hear from the central government and has ordered the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to submit its views within six weeks. The CBSE has indicated that the recent Transgender Persons Amendment Act excludes those with different sexual orientations from this category. The matter is set for further hearing on July 15.

(With inputs from agencies.)