Maharashtra: Woman cop awaits government permission to undergo sex-change surgery
Lalita Salve, a 29-year-old female police constable from Maharashtra's Beed district, is awaiting the state government's permission to undergo a sex change surgery. Though CM Devendra Fadnavis had intervened to let Salve keep her job after changing her gender on the grounds that it was a "rarest of rare case", senior police officials had refused her leave application on the grounds of operational exigencies.
Salve met CM on March 21 regarding case
"I met CM on March 21 in connection with my case. He assured me that the matter will be resolved on an urgent basis," Salve, who is posted at Majalgaon Police Station in Beed, said. She said her application has been forwarded to state Director General of Police (DGP). "I am sure that I will get a positive response from the government," she said.
Salve also contacted state police department in the matter
Salve had earlier approached the state police department to allow her leave of one month to undergo the sex-change surgery. However, the police department had turned down her plea as the eligibility criteria for men and women constables are different, including the height and weight. Lalita Salve said she will prefer to be called Lalit after sex change surgery.
Salve approached Bombay HC to get permission
In November 2017, Salve had moved the Bombay HC seeking a direction to the Maharashtra DGP to grant her leave to undergo the surgery. However, the HC had directed her to approach the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal since it was a service matter. Salve's uncle Arjun Ujagare also said that they were waiting for a go-ahead from the state government.
Salve consulted doctors at JJ hospital in Mumbai
"I have sought permission for the sex change surgery, leave for the procedure and to be in service as a male police constable after the surgery. I consulted doctors at the state-run JJ hospital in Mumbai for the sex-reassignment surgery. They also told me to get permission of police department," Lalita Salve said. "Now, I am waiting for the official permission," she said.
What was the matter?
Salve, born in June 1988, noticed changes in her body about four years ago and underwent medical tests, which confirmed the presence of Y chromosome in her body, according to her petition filed in the high court. While men have X and Y sex chromosomes, women have two X chromosomes. Salve later undertook counseling sessions with psychiatrists at the JJ Hospital.
Doctors detected that Salve had a gender dysphoria abnormality
The doctors detected that Salve had a gender dysphoria abnormality and advised her to undergo a sex reassignment surgery if she was willing to and was of sound mind. Subsequently, Salve approached senior police officials and sought a month's medical leave to undergo the surgery.
