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2021 Supreme(Online)(SC) 499

SUPREME COURT
, , JJ
Ms. Jigya Yadav – Appellant
Versus
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) – Respondent
CIVIL APPEAL NO. 3905 OF 2011 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 3572 OF 2019 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1822/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1823/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1824/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1825/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1826/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1827/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1828/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1829/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1830/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1831/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1832/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1833/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1834/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1835/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1836/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1837/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1838/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1839/2021 | CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1840/2021



Important Points

The right to change one's name or date of birth in certificates is fundamental to identity, and restrictions imposed by CBSE's Byelaws are unconstitutional if they prevent legitimate corrections post-examination results.

Subject

Education Law - Identity and Records

Act Referred

Indian Evidence Act, 1872: S.4, S.76, S.79, S.80, S.81
Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969
Aadhar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016: S.31
Right to Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009: S.14
Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1886
Kerala Registration of Births and Deaths Rules, 1999
Passports Act, 1967: S.24

Headnote

(A) Examination Byelaws of CBSE 2007 - The right to change one's name or date of birth in certificates is intrinsically linked to a person's identity and dignity, protected under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution. The Byelaws restricting such changes post-examination result are deemed excessively restrictive and unconstitutional. (Paras 137-140)

(B) Fundamental Rights - Name is an aspect of self-identity and an individual's control over it must be preserved, with judicial means available to ensure accuracy in official records. Changes in name must be permitted on genuine requests backed by statutory documents, reflecting the individual's right to express their identity. (Paras 116, 138)

(C) Judicial Review - High Courts should examine the legality and constitutionality of Byelaws when issuing mandamus for corrections in certificates, ensuring such issues are adjudicated with attention to the facts of each case. (Paras 162-166)

Legal Category Hierarchy

  • constitutional law
    • fundamental rights
    • writ jurisdiction
      • mandamus
        • issuance in contravention of byelaws (Para 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167)
        • public law remedy requirements (Para 162)
      • article 226
        • constitutional court power (Para 163, 165)
  • administrative law
  • evidence law
    • presumption of correctness
      • public documents presumption (Para 151, 152, 153)
      • statutory documents primacy (Para 153, 154)
  • education law
    • cbse byelaws
    • examination regulations
      • school records as foundational (Para 11, 12, 145, 147, 150)
      • certificates as public records (Para 8, 133, 137)
  • civil procedure

Table of Contents

1. Civil appeals challenging CBSE Byelaw 69.1 restrictions on correcting names and dates of birth in certificates after results publication, and whether courts can direct CBSE to make such changes. (Para 5 , 6 , 16 , 21 , 26 , 31 , 35 , 39 , 44 , 48 , 51 , 54 , 56 , 61 , 64 , 67 , 72 , 75 , 78 , 81 , 84 , 87 )

3. CBSE directed to process correction and change applications in certificates per guidelines issued, and amend Byelaws to incorporate mechanism for recording such corrections. (Para 170 , 171 , 172 , 173 )

4. Do CBSE Examination Byelaws have the force of law?

Yes. CBSE Byelaws, though not statutory, have the force of law as CBSE performs essential public functions. Byelaws are binding rules issued by a State instrumentality and are enforceable in courts, including through writ remedies. (Para 99 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 )

5. Do Byelaws restricting post-result name changes violate Art.19 of the Constitution?

Yes. The provision for change of name post-publication of results is excessively restrictive and imposes unreasonable restrictions on Art.19(1)(a) right to express identity. A complete embargo after results is disproportionate and cannot be termed reasonable. (Para 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 124 , 125 , 126 , 127 , 128 , 129 , 130 , 131 , 132 , 133 , 139 , 140 )

6. Must CBSE correct certificates based on updated public documents with presumption of correctness?

Yes. Public documents like birth certificates enjoy presumption of correctness under the Evidence Act. CBSE must take notice of such documents and may record changes consistent therewith, subject to reasonable conditions like affidavits and fees. (Para 151 , 152 , 153 , 154 , 155 , 156 )

7. Can courts issue mandamus to CBSE in complete contravention of Byelaws without examining validity?

No. Courts cannot mechanically issue mandamus in complete contravention of Byelaws without examining their validity. Directions must be based on specific factual circumstances and demonstrated extraordinary character of the case. (Para 162 , 163 , 164 , 165 , 166 , 167 )

8. What is the relevant date for determining applicability of Byelaws for corrections?

The Byelaws in force on the date of declaration of result and issue of certificate are relevant, not the date of application for correction. This preserves certainty and the purpose of limitation periods. (Para 158 , 159 , 160 )

5. In order to identify the precise scope of challenge, we may now delineate the factual matrix in individual petitions.

6. CIVIL APPEAL NO. 3905 OF 2011
The appellant in this case, Ms. Jigya Yadav, has assailed the decision of the High Court of Delhi, dated 20.12.2010 in W.P. (C) No. 3774/2010, wherein the High Court rejected the prayer for direction to the Board to carry out correction of her parents' name in the marksheets issued by it. The appellant's case was that the name of her parents was incorrectly recorded as "Hari Singh Yadav" instead of "Hari Singh" (as recorded in the identity documents of father) and "Mamta Yadav" instead of "Mamta" (as recorded in the identity documents of mother). Relying upon Byelaw 69.1 of the CBSE Examination Bye - laws, 2007, the High Court affirmed the decision of the Board in refusing the desired corrections / changes. The Court relied upon the nursery application form, school admission form and stream allotment form for class XI filled by the parents of the appellant to conclude that the errors were not inadvertent, and they had consciously chosen and retained the said names despite having opportunity to rectify before the Xth standard. It observed thus:
"15. From the aforesaid, it is apparent that despite the parents of the petitioner having mentioned their names as "Hari Singh" and "Mamta" in the petitioner's birth certificate, they have consciously and consistently chosen to record their names as "Hari Singh Yadav" and "Mamta Yadav" in the school record. Consequently, we are of the opinion that this Court in the present petition should not deal with the challenge of constitutional validity as it is the petitioner's parents who are at fault and the error, if any, has been repeated on a number of occasions by the petitioner's parents themselves. In fact, we are of the view that for the fault of the petitioner's parents, the impugned Bye - law of the respondent no. 1 cannot be set aside ..."
The Court, however, made an avoidable observation that in a country with caste - based reservations, changes in name cannot be permitted readily. It noted thus:
"17. We are also of the view that in a country where there is reservation on caste and religious grounds, change of names of parents or ward's name cannot be allowed at the drop of the hat."
The Court then observed that Byelaw 69.1 permits out corrections only to the extent of bringing conformity with the school record. In paragraph noted thus:
"21. Even if one were to apply the aforesaid test one finds that the respondent no. 1 essentially records what has been mentioned in the school records consistently and that too, upto Class X, that means, for more than 10 years the child and / or her parents have the liberty to rectify the record. Consequently, we are of the opinion that the impugned Byelaw is perfectly reasonable."
While concluding, the Court observed that the Courts must be wary of interfering in academic matters and should refrain from giving an expansive interpretation to statutory rules / byelaws as it may render the system unworkable. It noted in paragraph 22:
"22. Moreover, we are of the view that the Court should be extremely reluctant to substitute its own views as to what is wise, prudent and proper in relation to academic matters in preference to those formulated by professional men possessing technical expertise and rich experience of actual day - to - day working of educational institutions and the departments controlling them. It will be wholly wrong for the Court to take a pedantic and purely idealistic approach to the problems of this nature, isolated from the actual realities and grass root problems involved in the working of the system and unmindful of the consequences which would emanate if a purely idealistic view as opposed to a pragmatic one were to be propounded. It is equally important that the Court should also, as far as possible, avoid any decision or interpretation of CBSE to carry the record in 21, the Court a stat














































































































































































































































































































































































































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