Allahabad HC Orders UP Education Dept to Update Records After Trans Man’s Gender & Name Change
By Rajesh Pandey
The Allahabad High Court has upheld the rights of transgender individuals to change their gender and name in official records, directing Uttar Pradesh education authorities to amend a petitioner’s academic documents following his transition from female to male.
In a significant ruling, Justice Saurabh Shyam Shamshery set aside an April 8, 2025, order by the regional secretary of Madhyamik Siksha Parishad, Bareilly, which had denied the petitioner, Sharad Roshan Singh, a name change in his educational certificates because government rules do not allow corrections at such a late stage.
The authority had also held that the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, and its 2020 Rules were inapplicable.
Singh had earlier been legally recognised as a transgender person under the 2019 Act. A certificate of identity had been issued to him by the district magistrate under Section 6.
After subsequently undergoing gender-affirming surgery, he was issued another certificate under Section 7 of the Act confirming his change from female to male.
He then applied for a corresponding change of name in his educational documents under Rule 5(3), but his request was rejected—prompting him to approach the High Court.
Senior advocates H.R. Mishra and Chitrangada Narayan, appearing for the petitioner, cited multiple Supreme Court and High Court precedents affirming a transgender person’s right to self-identification and consequent correction of official records.
Allowing the petition on November 6, the court observed: The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, is a special Act. Section 20 of the Act, 2019 provides that provisions of this Act shall be in addition to, and not in derogation of, any other law for the time being in force.
Therefore, the concerned respondents have committed a legal error by not applying the provisions of the Act of 2019 in favour of the petitioner.”
The High Court has directed the state education department to correct Singh’s educational documents and issue fresh mark sheets and certificates reflecting his updated gender and name.
#TransRights #AllahabadHighCourt #GenderIdentity #LGBTQIA #LegalRights #TransgenderAct2019 #UPEducation
