Arutla Harshavardhan Reddy Vs The State of… — Writ and Judicial Review | Telangana HC (2025)

Arutla Harshavardhan Reddy Vs The State of… — Writ and Judicial Review | Telangana HC (2025)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Petitioner held entitled to correction of his name in the SSC certificate from 'ARUTLA SAIKUMAR REDDY' to 'ARUTLA HARSHAVARDHAN REDDY' on the strength of the Gazette of India notification dated 23.06.2018 and parity with W.P.No.7436 of 2025 (order dated 11.03.2025); respondents' pleas rejected as untenable; matter to be dealt with in accordance with law within four weeks; writ petition disposed of without costs and pending miscellaneous petitions (including I.A. No.1 of 2025) closed. Full operative directions partially illegible in OCR.

Issue for consideration

Whether the petitioner is entitled to a writ of mandamus declaring the refusal of Respondent No.2 to correct his name in the SSC certificate (from ARUTLA SAIKUMAR REDDY to ARUTLA HARSHAVARDHAN REDDY) arbitrary and illegal, with a further direction to Respondent Nos.3 and 4 to correct his Intermediate and Degree certificates accordingly. +1 more

Court's answer

The Court opined that the petitioner is entitled to the same relief as extended to him in W.P.No.7436 of 2025 (order dated 11.03.2025), namely correction of his name in the SSC certificate from 'Arutla Sai Kumar Reddy' to 'Arutla Harshavardhan Reddy', placing reliance on the Gazette of India notification dated 23.06.2018 recording the change of name.

Ratio / Principle

The order dated 11.03.2025 in W.P.No.7436 of 2025 had attained finality, which formed part of the basis for extending the same relief to the petitioner.

Key takeaways

The pleas put forth by the learned Government Pleader for School Education on behalf of the respondents (resting on the counter affidavit of Respondent No.2 and the CBSE correction norms extracted in the proceedings) were rejected as untenable.ratio¶39
Operative portion (antecedent directions partly lost to OCR): the relevant matter was to be dealt with/disposed of in accordance with law within four weeks thereafter, and there was to be no order as to costs.ratio¶51

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

High Court for the State of Telangana, WP.No.36418 of 2025 (Surepalli Nanda, J.; decision dated 10.12.2025). Writ petition under Article 226 by Arutla Harshavardhan Reddy (hitherto ARUTLA SAIKUMAR REDDY) seeking a mandamus declaring the refusal of Respondent No.2 to correct his name in the SSC certificate arbitrary and illegal (invoking Articles 14, 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution), and directing correction of the SSC certificate and consequential correction of his Intermediate and Degree certificates. Held: the petition is squarely covered by this Court's order dated 11.03.2025 in W.P.No.7436 of 2025, which had attained finality; placing reliance on the Gazette of India notification dated 23.06.2018 expressly notifying the change of name, and having regard inter alia to the observations at para 194 of the Supreme Court decision reported in 2021 (7) SCC 535 (ya/[J]aya Yadav Vs. CBSE) and to the submissions of counsel, the petitioner is entitled to the same relief as extended in W.P.No.7436 of 2025. The pleas of the learned Government Pleader for School Education, founded on the counter affidavit of Respondent No.2 (certificate corrections permissible only in two specified situations backed by records/public documents), were rejected as untenable. Writ petition disposed of without costs; miscellaneous petitions closed.

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PRESENT

JUSTICE^{SUREPALLINANDA} THE^{HONOURABLEMRS}

Between:

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AND

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3.BoardoflntermediateE-{llci}tion'Rep'byitsCommissioner'Vidhyabhavan' 'ir pror G Ram Reddv^{Mars' Road No 46'}

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-' Jrbir"" Hils, HvOeratiad - 500 033' ...RESPONDENTS

...RESPONDENTS

Petition under^{Article 226 ofthe constitutionof lndia praying that in the} circumstances^{statedin the affidavitfiled therewith' the High Court may be} pleased to issue an^{appropriate writ, order or direction' particularlya writ of} mandamus, declaring^{the refusalof Respondent No.2 to correct the name of the} petitioner in the SSC Certificate as^{arbitrary, illegal, violative of Articles 14,} 1g(1)(a), 19(1Xg)^{and 21 of the constitutionof lndia, and consequentlydirect} Respondent^{No.1 to correct the Petitioner'sname from ARUTLASAIKUMAR} REDDY to ARUiLA^{HARSHAVARDHAN REDDY, and further direct Respondent} Nos.3 and 4 to^{correct the Petitioner's lntermediateand Degree Certificates} accordinglY.

tA NO: 1 OF 2025

petitior rhat in rhe circumsri the arridavi, ;:T':fi:H;: ffiJjil:: direcuhe respondents No. 2 ro i:[':::ll]l_ ln: r,nn courr,"rT:"r1"'::'J .i name in the ssc: certificate ,., "n" .ARUTLA necessary steps to correct ,n" ,"r,r,or"r,, HARSHAVARDHAN REDDY, ,n,, SAIKUMAR REDDY,, to ,ARUTLA ;ff ::;^{j:"::il:,.,;kTTf} l#I,:illil:",T'H;",:::,:H refiectins the petitioner,s tesa,y chansed name, ,"::ff;: ,,.rff:J3,r:r",,r"j main writ Petition and for such further reliefs as this Honourabre court may deem fit and proper in the facts and circumstances of this case.

COUNSEI fOr thE PEtitiONEr: SRt KARUKONDA ARAVIND counser for the Respondeni ri;;J ro e, dp r6n ioucATroN Counsel for the Responderi ti;.;, -_

The Court made the following: ORDER

HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE SUREPALLI NANDA

DATED:1O.12.2O25

Between:

Sri.Arutla Harshavardhan Reddy petitioner And

The State of Telangana and Others

.....Respondents

ORDER:

Heard sri Karukonda Aravind, rearned counser appearing on beharf of the petitioner and rearned Government preader for schoot Education appearing on behatf of the respondents.

under:

"... to issue F^{a rti} c u r a rr y ; ; 1, !? T"#lH d : :. d;fl E',|.il, jlffi :i, ""? ffJ:!3[T#;^{ii: ;:f;il[e name or tire pltitioner in} #iffi ' I ;."J,i,] I:i,,^r Iⁱⁱ ii'iTJ2 i' i"F i,1: ;:i:il I;,, # ipi'i{r:^hr,,' m;t+fHH{{# rurther direct Resoonde;i.iliI,, TJ.j ," .lrre rhe :::iHi,"ff, .jlld;Jl''".',0 Dus,.u.- b'u,.tin.ut",

Learned counset appearing on hehalf submits that the subject issue ;rr",;";; ;. ,"":::.T;

2

petition is^{squarely coveredby the order of this Court'} dated^{11.03.2025 passed in W'P'No'7436 ot 2025' Hence'} the^{petitioneris entitledfor grant of relief as prayed for by} the^{petitionerin the presentwrit petition as extendedto} the^{petitioner in w'P'No'7436 ol2025' dated L,'o3'2O25'}

ed Government^{Pleader for School Education} 4.^{The learn} apPearing^{on behalf of the respondents on the other hand} acing^{reliance on the averments made at Para Nos'8 to 10} davit^{filed onbehalfof the resPondent} of the^{counter affi} for^the No.z,^{contenclsthat thepetitioner is not entitled} nt^writ relief^{as Prayed for bY the Petitioner in the Prese} 'it

lars^{in the} certificate inte nded

'As regard^{s request for"change"} resup^of that^Partlcu the not^pacon fticularssistent^{with the} issued^bYth rded^{e CBS} in^thE,itP eCB SE^certi posesficauld te are^be made^{in two} like different^Birth to schoo^be I^reco ons. reco^Th rds.e firstSuch is^aon request the^baslsco of rd, Publ^etc'icd ocumentsand^{to in} corpoe^secondrate situati with'^Th t there

Certrfi^{cate,Aadhaar Card/Election} nsisten^Ca to^the acquired e is^due

changepossibilitY^{in theis w} hen^CBS at^{E the a certtlaterreqficate} uest point^forcoof time. chang^Tha t candidate'chang e need^{not be} nbacked ame^bYbY choice^publi c documen tS pertai ning^{to the}

3

The^{order, dated 11.03.2025passed} in W.P.No.7436 ot 2025^{had attained its.finality and in view} of the fact that the^{petitioneris seekingcorrection} of the^petitioner's name in the^{SSC certificate} from "Arutla SaiKumar Reddy,, to .'Arutta Harshavardhan Reddy' placing reliance on the Gazette^{Notificationissued} in favour of the petitioner as per the Gazette of India, dated 23.06.2018, this Court opines^{that petitioner} is entitled for the same rerief as extended^{to the petitioner} in W.P.No.7436 ol 20.25, dated L1.O3.2O25^{and hence,} the^{pleas put-forth} by the learned Government^Pleader for School Education appearing on behalf of^{the respondentsin} support of respondents, case are rejected^{as untenable.}

7

a) The aforesaid^{facts and} circumstances of the case. b) The^{submissions made} by the tearned counsel appearing on behalf^{of the petitioner} and learned Government^pleader lor School Education appearing on behalf of the respondents.

c) The observations at^para No.194 of the^judgment of the Apex Court^reported in 2O2t (7) SCC^page 535 passed in

4

\

) ya Yadav Vs. Central Board of Secondary

Education(referred to and extracted above)

d) The order of this Court, dated 11.O3.2O25 passed in W.P.No.7436 ol 2025.

e) The Gazette of India Notification, dated 23.O6.2018 wherein it was expliciHy notified that the petitioner who was hatherto known as ARUTLA SAIKUMAR REDDY shal! henceforth be known as ARUTLA HARSHAVARDHAN REDDY.

I]

5

disoose of the same in accordance with law. within four weeks thereafter. However, there shall be no order as to

costs.

As a sequel, the miscellaneous petitions, if

any pending, in the Writ^petition shall also stand closed.

SD/. L. VIJAYA LAXM] ASSISTANT REGISTRAR

//TRUE COPY//

SECTION OFFICER

To

The Principal Secretary, School^{Education department, Secretariat Buildings'} Hvderabad. State of Telanqana.

The Commissioner and Director of School^{Education, Boardof Secondary} Education (SSC), Beside Telephone^{Bhavan, Lakdi-ka-pool,Hyderabad,} Telangana 500001.

The C6mmissioner, Board of lntermediate^{Education, Vidhyabhavan,} Nampally Hyderabad -^500001.

Dr. B.R. hmbedkar Open University,^{Prof. G. RamReddy Marg, Road No.46,} Jubilee Hills. Hvderabad^- 500 033.

One CC to SRI'KARUKONDA ARAVIND,^Advocate [OPUC]

Two CCs to GP FOR EDUCATION,^{High Courtfor the State of Telangana, at} Hyderabad. [OUTI

Two CD Copies

PSK.

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I i I I i I I l, ti il

CC TODAY

HIGH COURT

ATED t1011212025

ORDER
.s
WP.No.36418 of 2025 l.l- s
$

DISPOSING OF THE^{WRIT PETITION} WITHOUT COSTS

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