Mumbai, April 19:  Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday cleared the request of a Beed lady constable Lalita Salve wanting to undergo sex change surgery. Reports regarding Salve's desire to change her gender had surfaced earlier after she realised that she had an underdeveloped male organ in her body. The Chief Minister had earlier declared that he would clear the file and ask the Director General of Police (DGP) of state Satish Mathur to take a call on it.

The 29-year old female hails from Beed district in Maharashtra, around 387 kilometre from Mumbai. She had joined the force as a female constable in June 2010 and was a part of the all-women squad, but, when she realised the change in her body she sought permission for a month's leave to undergo sex change surgery in September 2017. However, the state police headquarters rejected her request, accusing her of hiding facts at the time of recruitment.

Soon after, Salve moved Bombay High Court (HC) and pleaded for permission to be treated as a male in the police force. She then approached the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal for the same. In her plea, she mentioned that the doctors, who examined her, found that she is suffering from gender dysphoria, a condition in which emotional and psychological identity are at odds with one's biological sex. Salve had undergone a detailed medical check-up in JJ Hospital of Mumbai.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 19, 2018 04:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).