HC disposes of plea after AAI regularises employee’s gender change

The HC’s decision came after AAI informed the bench that the employee had been regularised in its records as a female.

The Bombay high court (HC) on Tuesday disposed of a petition filed by an employee of Airports Authority of India (AAI), who had sought a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the government body to recognise a change in gender.

The Bombay high court (HC) on Tuesday disposed of a petition filed by an employee of Airports Authority of India (AAI), who had sought a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the government body to recognise a change in gender. (HT Photo)

The HC’s decision came after AAI informed the bench that the employee had been regularised in its records as a female.

The petitioner, Myra Grace Bandikalla — who earlier went by the first name Swaroop — had approached the HC last year, after AAI was reluctant to allow the employee to undergo a gender change surgery.

Bandikalla’s advocates, Zaid Ansari and Pranali Wankar, said he identified as a transgender and wished to become a female.

In July 2018, the HC passed an interim order, directing AAI to permit Bandikalla to undergo the surgery and to effect changes in its employment records of Bandikalla as a female.

The court had also directed the AAI to permit name changes in the passport of the petitioner.

On Tuesday, while updating the HC about the compliance of last year’s order, AAI’s advocates Kavita Anchan and Arsh Misra argued the petitioner’s prayers had been taken care of and her petition should be disposed of.

Ansari and Wankar, however, averred that as the prayer for a blanket order to all government offices to recognise and allow gender change surgeries had not been addressed, the petition should be kept pending.

However, the bench of justices Akil Kureshi and S J Kathawalla said the main prayers of the petitioner had been dealt with and disposed of the petition.