A 28-year-old woman police constable in Beed district today approached the Bombay High Court seeking direction to the Maharashtra's Director General of Police to grant her leave to undergo a surgery for sex change.


Lalita Salve, 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's lawyer Ejaz Naqvi today 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 S M Kemkar tomorrow. As per the petition, Salve, born in June 1988, noticed changes in her body three years ago and underwent medical tests wherein it was found that the presence of Y chromosome was more.


"The petitioner later undertook counselling sessions with psychiatrists at the state-run J J Hospital. The doctors found that she had gender dysphoria abnormality and advised her to undergo sex reassignment surgery if she was willing to and was of sound mind," 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," the petition said. The said decision was violative of the petitioner's fundamental rights, it alleged. -- PTI