Almost two years after she was dismissed from Indian Navy for having undergone a sex reassignment surgery (SRS), trans woman Sabi Giri may be able to join the Indian Navy soon.
Sabi Giri was a sailor in the Indian Navy and posted in Visakhapatnam when she underwent. When her seniors got to know, she was suspended and her case sent to the Ministry of Defence, which then decide to discharge her, citing rules that Sailor could only be men. “He has breached the Recruitment Regulations and eligibility criteria for his employment as a sailor in the Indian Navy. The existing service rules and regulations do not permit the sailor’s continued employment owing to his altered gender status, medical condition and resultant employability restrictions,” a press release by Indian Navy read.
Sabi had then challenged the decision in Delhi High Court. However, now a report in the Hindustan Times has quoted Navy officials as saying that she may be taken back in the Navy as a lower division clerk, if she clears an exam. “She couldn’t have gone back to the ship. So the tradesman job is the best thing to do. I am confident she will clear the exam and then she can come back.”
Sabi has started preparing for the exam and hopes to clear it and then join the Indian Navy again.