Uttarakhand Court Rules on Transgender Name Changes

The Uttarakhand High Court has delivered a landmark ruling, overturning the state education board's refusal to amend the name and gender of a transgender individual, Shreyansh Singh Bisht, in educational certificates. The court directed the state government to revise its regulations in accordance with the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, reinforcing the rights of transgender persons. Bisht, who legally changed his name and gender after undergoing sexual reassignment surgery in 2020, had his request denied by the Uttarakhand Board of School Education, which cited its regulations that permit changes only for names deemed obscene. The court emphasized that existing regulations do not align with legal standards established in previous Supreme Court rulings affirming the right of transgender individuals to self-identify. This ruling highlights the need for legal frameworks to evolve alongside societal changes in recognizing transgender rights.