The Delhi High Court is set to examine how the names of transgender persons should be reflected in educational records maintained by the University of Delhi and the Central Board of Secondary Education.
A Division Bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Madhu Jain observed that the issue is not limited to academic certificates and could have wider implications for official documentation such as birth and death certificates, passports, Aadhaar cards and driving licences.
The Court is hearing a batch of petitions filed in 2017 and 2019 by Riya Sharma, Aarav Singh and Raghav P R, seeking enforcement of rights under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
During the hearing on April 9, counsel for CBSE referred to the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026, pointing out that the definition of “transgender person” under Section 2(k) has been revised. It was argued that, under the amended provision, individuals with different sexual orientations and self-perceived identities may not fall within the scope of the term.
However, counsel for the petitioners countered that the Amendment Act has not yet been notified. They further argued that even under the amended definition, the petitioners would still qualify as transgender persons.
Taking note of the broader implications, the Bench observed that any directions issued in the case could impact multiple forms of identification beyond educational records.
Accordingly, the Court impleaded the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment as a respondent and directed it to file its response within six weeks. The Court also allowed the Ministry to seek inputs from other departments of the Union government, if necessary, to assist in framing comprehensive guidelines.
The parties have been asked to submit their written arguments at least one week prior to the next hearing, addressing, among other things, the amendments introduced in the 2026 Act.
The matter is now scheduled for hearing on July 15.
Notably, a coordinate bench had earlier, in October last year, expressed concern over the Central government’s delay in responding to the petitions.
