Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale on Thursday hit out on the BJP over an alleged authorities notification requiring married ladies to acquire a “permission letter” from their husbands in the event that they want to legally change their surnames again to their maiden names. The notification, nevertheless, is just not dated.
In a put up on Instagram, the Rajya Sabha MP mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s declare of “naari shakti” was a “sham” and known as the rule a “shameless show of misogyny”.
“The Modi authorities has ordered that ladies who want to change their surname will now want both: (a) a duplicate of their divorce decree or, (b) a ‘permission letter’ from the husband,” Gokhale mentioned.
“For altering one’s identify, a notification must be issued within the Gazette. These new guidelines imply that ladies who’re separated or ladies who merely want to revert to their maiden surname (as a substitute of their husband’s surname) must submit 1 of the above two paperwork,” the TMC MP additional mentioned.
Gokhale mentioned he had written to the Controller of Publications looking for to know the grounds primarily based on which the brand new “misogynist guidelines” have been launched.
“What the hell is ‘husband’s permission’ for a girl selecting to vary her personal identify?” he mentioned. “As an MP, I’ll do the whole lot I can to make sure that this misogynist rule is struck down and withdrawn,” the TMC MP additional mentioned.
MAIDEN SURNAME NAME RULE CHALLENGED IN COURT
The federal government notification has additionally been challenged by a lady earlier than the Delhi Excessive Courtroom. The courtroom has sought the Centre’s response.
In her petition, the girl, who was present process divorce proceedings, mentioned that the notification infringed upon her proper to “autonomy and privateness” and mirrored “gender bias”.
The girl, Divya Modi, had modified her identify to Divya Modi Tongya after marriage. The girl claimed that the notification restricted her capability to revert to her maiden surname.
She additional said that the rule “unreasonably” curtailed the liberty of expression and private identification, notably of girls, by mandating a “no-Objection Certificates (NOC)” from the husband.