Mumbai, May 3 (IANS) The Bombay High Court Thursday warned a youth, who threatened to commit suicide if his petition on sex change surgery was adjourned, saying that he cannot pressurise the court before his petition was heard and orders passed.
After the court Wednesday adjourned Bhidan Barua’s case to May 7, the 21-year-old wrote to the chief justice of the high court seeking permission to commit suicide.
A division bench of Justices S.J. Vazifdar and A.R. Joshi Thursday summoned Barua’s lawyer Ejaz Naqvi and said that Barua “cannot indulge in such pressure tactics and threaten the court”.
“As a lawyer you should understand the court’s difficulties also,” Justice Vazifdar said.
Barua, who thinks he is a woman trapped in a man’s body, came to Mumbai last month for a sex change surgery. He, however, filed a petition in the high court, which came up for hearing last week, stating that his parents are not supportive of his decision.
Barua had earlier written letters to chief justice of India, chief justice of Bombay High Court and National Human Rights Commission urging them to intervene and grant him a favourable order so that he could undergo the sex change surgery.
He also alleged that his parents have frozen his bank account and that he has not funds to support himself and pay his lawyer’s fees.
The division bench also said that if needed, the court would appoint an amicus curie (friend of the court) to assist him.
Barua, who prefers being called Swati, however, said that he wants to get this surgery done as soon as possible so that he can marry his fiance, who is an Indian Air Force officer posted in Gujarat.
