On Friday (November 6, 2020), the High Court of Delhi ordered Delhi University to modify the name of one of its students in the university records without insisting upon altering the same in his CBSE records, saying that such an obligation amounted to “asking for the impossible”.
Justice Jayant Nath said the apprentice passed out from class 12 in 2018 & was looking for a change in his name in 2019 while he was a student of DU & as a result, asking him to first get the CBSE records changed was “a misplaced requirement & cannot be accepted”.
The order & observations came on the petition by Rayaan Singh, Hindu College student, who wanted to change of his name to Rayaan Chawla in his DU records.
He challenged Delhi University’s notification of 2015 which instructs that for switching of name in the varsity records, the change has to be first effected in the certificate issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
The student requested to change his surname to embrace that of his mother as, according to his application, his parents separated in 2007 & divorced in 2015 & all through his life, he “never enjoyed any form of constructive relationship” with his father.
He had by that time published a announcement regarding change of his name in two newspapers & the Gazette of India. DU opposed the plea on the grounds that he had sufficient time to get his name changed to Rayaan Chawla after his parents got divorced in 2015 as he passed out from class 12 only in 2018.
Nonetheless the Court, didn't agree with DU & said, “When CBSE issued the documents, the petitioner had the original name ‘Rayaan Singh’. The same cannot be changed now as in 2018 when the petitioner completed his class 12th he was known as ‘Rayaan Singh’.
“The law would not oblige the petitioner to act upon the impossible. The insistence of respondent No.1 (DU) to first get the name changed in the records of CBSE is a misplaced requirement & cannot be authorized.” Justice Nath further said that in his view, as the change of name is with effect from August/September 2019 i.e. much after the Class 10th & 12th certificates issued by CBSE, DU cannot in these irregular facts & circumstances insist that the student should also get his name changed in the records of CBSE/in the Class 10th & 12th certificates.
“It would be suitable that respondent No.1 University of Delhi may change the name of the petitioner in their records/in the degree that may be given in future to the petitioner as above. It added: “Such a course of action would avoid any confusion in the two names, which would be seen on the records of CBSE & of University of Delhi/appropriate documents issued by the said entities.
