Alleging discrimination in non-Muslim localities, the 66-year-old Vadodara woman has challenged the rejection of her plea to restore her Christian name
NEW DELHI — Unable to find a house in non-Muslim localities because of her Muslim name, a 66-year-old widow from Vadodara has moved the Gujarat High Court seeking to revert to her maiden Christian name.
The petitioner, a retired central government employee born into a Christian family, had adopted a Muslim name after marriage. According to a Times of India report, her husband died in 2021, after which she left her marital home to reconnect with her natal family.
In her plea, she has stated that her search for accommodation closer to her family was met with social barriers, as she was allegedly denied housing in non-Muslim areas due to her Muslim name.
Prompted by this, she decided to legally restore her birth name. Her lawyer said she first approached the authorities concerned to get the name change notified in the government gazette — the official record for legal changes such as names — but her request was turned down.
Authorities reportedly told her that without a divorce decree, she could not revert to her father’s name and maiden surname. She has argued that since her husband is deceased, this condition leaves her with no legal route to reclaim her birth name.
In her petition before the high court, she has clarified that the plea is not meant to evade any civil or criminal liability and is driven purely by her present social circumstances. She has also stated that she has left her husband’s home and given up all claims to his properties.
Hearing her plea, Justice Nirzar Desai has issued notices to the Gujarat government, the Directorate of Government Printing and Stationery, and the Government Press and Stationery Department, seeking their response by August 27.
