Mumbai: Maharashtra police female constable from Beed district, Lalita Salve, had sought the department’s permission to seek leave to undergo a gender –reassignment operation,.
The Bombay high court had asked her to approach the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT).
Lalita Salve is still waiting to get posted as a male constable. The government is yet to sanction her request.
“The application of Lalita had been forwarded to the CP (Commissioner of Police) office but we are still awaiting a response.
Lalita is still working as lady constable in Beed,” said Arjun Ujgare, a relative of Salve.
Speaking to The Asian Age, advocate Asim Sarode said, “Currently there is no governance for the third gender. Therefore on the administration level, giving Salve the post of a male constable would create complications.”
Harish Iyer, a social rights activist, said, “Awareness about transgenders is very low, due to which legal procedures get stuck. Not all lawyers know what a transgender is, so it is difficult to even get an affidavit for a change in legal documents. Lack of awareness creates challenges more than the lack of procedures.”
