Telangana High Court Directs Government on Issuing Educational Certificates After Name Changes

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court, led by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti, has instructed the state government, along with the SSC and Intermediate Boards and Osmania University, to clarify their stance on issuing fresh educational certificates to individuals who have legally changed or corrected their names via official gazette notifications.

This directive arose during a hearing of a petition filed by Vangeti Madhusudhan Reddy, who contended that despite correcting his name through a gazette notification, he faced refusal from authorities in obtaining new certificates. The court has granted these entities a two-week period to respond to the request.

Petitioner’s counsel, Aravind Karukonda, informed the court that the SSC Board denied Reddy’s application, citing Government Order (GO Ms. No.1263 of 1961) from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government, which prohibits any changes to a student’s name on educational certificates post-results publication.

Karukonda argued that this order is arbitrary, illegal, and infringes upon fundamental rights. He urged the court to direct the authorities to amend the name and issue new educational certificates, including those for SSC, Intermediate, degree, and other qualifications, reflecting the corrected name as per the gazette.

Following the discussions, the bench instructed the government to carefully consider the issues raised and submit a comprehensive response within the stipulated two weeks.