Two women constables posted in Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate of Maharashtra are in the news these days about their relationship and marriage plans. According to reports, both of them have applied for leave to perform the ceremony as per Vedic rituals in Alandi on August 30. The wedding invitation letter has also been attached with the application. After which there was a stir in the police department.
After the matter came to light, the family of one of the two objected to this relationship and sought intervention from the police department. However, the authorities reportedly told the family that both were adults and were in a consensual relationship, so the police could not stop their personal decision. Counseling help can be provided if needed.
How did the story of the two constables begin?
According to reports, both the women constables are from different areas of Maharashtra. After joining the police, both of them completed training and got posting in Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate. Initially both were posted at the police headquarters and lived with some other women constables. Later both were posted in the same police station. When the other women living with them left, both of them started living together. Gradually, people around them also started becoming aware of their close relationship.
When the family came to know, they raised objection
It is being told that the family of one of the two constables got information about their relationship and marriage plans. The family protested against this and demanded the police to intervene in the matter. Some family members also reached the police station and took information about the two constables from the police staff. After this, senior officials advised the employees to avoid discussing this matter, because it is a matter related to the personal life of both the adults.
What did the police officer say?
As the wedding date approached, the family contacted a senior officer of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate. According to the report, the officer explained to the family that if two adults are in a willing relationship, the police department cannot prevent them from having a private ceremony. If the family or either of them feels the need, then counseling facility can be provided.
Will the function be held in Alandi on 30th August?
Both the constables have planned to organize a function in Alandi on August 30. For this, a leave application has been given and an invitation letter has also been attached. However, there is an important legal aspect here. Consensual homosexual relations between two adults are not criminalized in India, but same-sex marriage does not have the status of legal marriage under existing laws. Therefore, organizing a religious or private ceremony and getting the legal status of marriage are two different things.
What is the Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage?
The Supreme Court had given its verdict on the demand for legal recognition of same-sex marriage in October 2023. The court had refused to recognize same-sex marriage under existing laws and said it was for Parliament to make laws in this regard. Additionally, the court also considered the rights of LGBTQIA+ people to have relationships with the person of their choice and live their lives as important. This means that a private relationship between two people is not a legal offence, but the mere religious or private ceremony of marriage does not automatically give them the status of a legally married couple.
A constable is undergoing gender transition
Another aspect of this matter is related to gender transition. According to reports, one of the two constables is undergoing treatment related to gender transition. It is reported that she has gone to a big hospital in Mumbai several times for treatment. Both of them are also looking into whether there is any possibility of registering their relationship as marriage under the law after the completion of the gender transition process. However, its legal path will depend on the official gender record of the person and the marriage law in force at that time.
Another case of gender transition in police department
Another case related to gender identity has also come to light in Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate. This case is different from these two constables. According to the report, a woman police employee was transferred from Beed to Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate. Later, after obtaining necessary government permission, she underwent gender reassignment surgery. After this he applied to change his gender from female to male in the government service records. It is being told that a decision is yet to be taken on this application.
Another question related to change in service record
In this second case it is not just an issue of changing gender in government records. The concerned employee was recruited in the police as a woman. In such a situation, the question of benefits given under reservation or other rules at the time of recruitment has also come to the fore. For this reason, the department has to decide how after changing the gender in the records, how to look at the old service benefits and the rules applicable at the time of recruitment.
Two different cases, but many big questions
These two cases related to Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate are different, but both have brought into discussion questions like gender identity, personal relationships, government records and legal recognition of marriage. In the first case, there is a matter of the proposed ceremony of two women constables and the objection of the family. In the second case, the question of change in government service records after gender transition has come to the fore. At present, the final legal decisions related to these cases will be decided only on the basis of the concerned authorities and the existing law. It is important to wait for official information before accepting any claims related to marriage and gender records as final legal status.