Vadodara woman seeks to revert to her Christian maiden name after facing housing challenges

AHMEDABAD: A 66-year-old Vadodara woman has moved Gujarat High Court seeking to drop the Muslim name she adopted after marriage and revert to her Christian maiden name, citing social difficulties in securing housing. Upon hearing her petition, HC on Tuesday issued notices to the state govt and authorities concerned seeking reply on why her request for name change in the govt gazette was not accepted. The petitioner, a retired central govt employee and widow, was born into a Christian family but assumed a Muslim identity after marrying a Muslim man. Following her husband’s death in 2021, she left her matrimonial home and sought to reconnect with her parental roots. However, she has contended that she faced difficulties in obtaining accommodation in non-Muslim localities in Vadodara because of her Muslim name. According to her counsel, advocate Rushabh Shah, the circumstances prompted her to seek restoration of her maiden name, which reflects her Christian identity. The woman moved HC after authorities declined her request to publish the name change in the govt gazette. The authorities informed her that, in the absence of a divorce decree, she could not change her name and adopt her father’s name and maiden surname as her suffix. In her petition, the woman stated that the proposed name change was not intended to evade any civil or criminal liability but was driven entirely by social circumstances. It was submitted that she has left her husband’s house and forfeited all her rights in his properties. During the hearing, HC sought further clarification regarding the grounds for the request, following which her counsel submitted an additional affidavit detailing the reasons behind the proposed change elaborating that she finding it difficult in getting accommodation in the non-Muslim locality. After considering the affidavit, Justice Nirzar Desai observed that the grounds cited by the petitioner were social in nature. Issuing notice to the state govt, Directorate of Govt Printing and Stationery, and Govt Press and Stationery at Rajkot, the court sought their replies by Aug 27. The order records, “Learned assistant govt pleader Nikunj Kanara waives service of notice on behalf of the respondent No.1 (state govt). Direct service is permitted qua respondent Nos.2 (directorate) and 3 (govt press).”