Delhi High Court seeks Centre’s stand on trans persons’ names in educational records
New Delhi: A day ago, the Delhi High Court sought the Centre’s response on the procedure for publishing the names of transgender persons in educational records, in light of the amended transgender law.
A bench comprising Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Madhu Jain passed the order while hearing petitions concerning issues faced by transgender persons, including discrepancies in identification across certificates issued by the University of Delhi and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
The court noted that its directions in the matter could have wider implications for other official documents as well, including birth and death certificates, passports, Aadhaar cards, driving licences, and other government records. It also directed that the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment be impleaded as a party to the proceedings.
“In view of the same, this Court is of the opinion that it would be necessary to hear the position of the Union of India in these matters. Accordingly, the Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE), Union of India is impleaded as Respondent No. 4 in all the three petitions,” the court observed in its order dated April 9.
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The court further directed the ministry to file its response by way of affidavit within six weeks. It also asked central government counsel to obtain instructions from the ministry and, if necessary, coordinate with other ministries to ensure a comprehensive response.
Counsel for the CBSE informed the court that following the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026, the definition of “transgender person” had been revised, and that under the updated framework, individuals with different sexual orientations or self-perceived identities would not fall within the definition.
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The matter has been listed for further hearing on July 15.
The petitions, filed in 2017 and 2019, seek directions for the effective implementation of rights under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. The petitioners have argued that authorities are not updating official documents in accordance with the statutory framework.
(PTI)