Pune: After running around for one year for permission and leave for sex reassignment surgery while continuing in police department, a 28-year-old woman police constable from Beed district on Thursday filed a writ petition in the Mumbai High Court (HC) seeking direction to the Maharashtra's Director General of Police to grant her leave to undergo a surgery for sex change.
Lalita Salve of Rajegaon in Beed district, who now prefers to be called Lalit, had sought a month's leave to undergo sex reassignment surgery, but the same was refused following which she petitioned the HC. Salve is a BA graduate and joined the police department in 2009.
Salve's lawyer Dr Syed Ejaz Abbas Naqvi mentioned the petition before a division bench headed by Chief Justice Manjula Chellur, who said the plea would have to be heard by the appropriate bench. Naqvi said he would mention the petition before a division bench headed by Justice SM Kemkar on Friday.
As per the petition, Salve, born in June 1988, noticed changes in her body 2-3 years ago and underwent medical tests wherein it was found that the presence of Y chromosome (male) was more. “She started feeling attracted towards some females at Police Line (colony). In absence of due medical care from State or department, she continued to live under serious mental trauma and under social stigma. The petitioner later undertook counselling sessions with psychiatrists at the state-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai. The doctors found that she had gender dysphoria abnormality and advised her to undergo sex reassignment surgery if she was willing to," the petition said.
Salve approached her senior police officials about the same and sought a month's medical leave to undergo the sex change surgery.
"Last week, the Superintendent of Police of Beed district informed the petitioner that she cannot undergo sex reassignment surgery and refused to grant her leave. It is violative of the petitioner's fundamental rights. The DGP has no right on the petitioner’s life of decision in such a traumatic situation where several people of society taunt her as 'unisex' or say half male," the petition said.
'I am being threatened'
The petitioner states that she has been threatened and teased by some people for her looks and male style of thinking, hence she is under tremendous psychological pressure and is scared. Police department instead of approving leave for medical/surgical treatment is putting pressure on her by all kinds of tactics including monetary, forceful and emotional.
