Madhya Pradesh allows woman police constable to change gender on record

A Madhya Pradesh woman police constable has been granted permission to change her gender from female to male in official records. The permission has been granted by the state home department.

Such permission has been granted for the first time in the state. Before granting the constable permission to make the change, the home department checked reports of psychologists which confirmed that the constable has gender identity disorder since childhood.

The home department directed the Director General of Police to allow the constable to make the relevant changes in official records. The constable had made an application in 2019, seeking the change. The application was accompanied by an affidavit regarding the situation and also seeking permission to publish the intention in the government gazette.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that the right to choose one’s gender identity is integral to the right to a life with dignity, hence it falls within the scope of the Right to Life under Article 21 of Constitution of India.

The Court observed that expressing one’s identity through words, dress, action or behaviour is included in the Right to Freedom of Expression guaranteed under Article 19.

The Madhya Pradesh Home Department is believed to have relied on this judgement while taking a decision on the constable’s case.