Coming to the aid of a 24-year-old transgender, the Madras High Court Bench here has directed the authorities to change her name in her school final marksheet to her present identity.
Allowing a petition by S Swapna, who has been running from pillar to post to get her name corrected to enable her get a government job, Justice K.K.Sasidharan quashed the proceedings of Joint Director of Examinations (Personnel) by which her request was turned down on the ground there was no procedure prescribed in relevant rules.
The judge directed the petitioner to file a fresh applicaiton and directed the Joint Director to consider the same and issue marksheets with her new name.
Her troubles began in 2011 when she became a transgender and changed her name to Swapna from Nazer. Though she got her name changed in the college and degree certificates, her inability to do so in the school certificate cost her a job after she cleared her Group IV examinations for clerical posts in government service in 2012.
Upon verification of certificates, the interview committee members raised questions about gender. Though she showed them the gazette publication by which she adopted the new name, they advised her to change the name in the SSLC and HSC mark sheets or to drop the present identity.
Petitioner said she had every right to live as a woman,and no body could compel her to shed her present identity.
Subsequently, she appeared for Group II exams in 2013-14, results of which were yet to be published. Initially, she was refused hall ticket over the gender issue. But after the high court's intervention, she was allowed to write it.
She has also appeared for Village Administrative Officer test. She feared that her candidature might be rejected in the two selections citing difference in names in certificates.
Hence, she sought a direction to the Director of School examination to issue fresh SSLC and HSC certificate in her new name.
