The Madras High Court (HC) has been notified by the Union Government that it has modified its policy and will no longer mandate a certificate of sex reassignment surgery to change gender in a person’s passport.
The Writ Petition:
The writ petition was decided by the first bench, which consisted of Chief Justice Sanjay Vijaykumar Gangapurwala and Justice Sathya Narayana Prasad.
The government stated that anyone who changed their gender from male to female or vice versa would be protected by the laws enacted for transgender people when it comes to changing their gender on a passport.
Government’s Statement:
The Government responded to a plea filed by T D Sivakumar contesting the legality of the Passport Rules’ requirement that a sex reassignment surgery certificate be produced to change a passport holder’s sex.
The Union Government responded to the request by telling the court that it has modified its policy and is no longer requiring these certificates.
According to the Government, the Passport Rules and laws do not mandate the provision of a sex reassignment surgery certificate, even in cases where a person’s gender changes from female to male or vice versa.
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