Express photo by Kevin Dsouza,
Madhuri Sarode has been busy attending to visitors since morning. “The calls have kept me busy. I haven’t even got time to cook,” she said. A transgender, Sarode had married the love of her life Jay Rajnath Sharma in what can be touted as perhaps the first-of-its-kind wedding. And after the SC decision on Thursday, the couple now hopes to register its marriage.
“At least no one will ever call me a criminal for loving someone… I am sure the judgment is vast. It will take a lot of time to read and understand, but at least no one will ever accuse me of being a criminal,” Sarode said.
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Sarode, however, is aware that the battle has just begun. “I am very religious and I read the Purans a lot. It is proclaimed there that Kinnars will get their rights. I believe this is the beginning of that time. It is the horn that we blow before the war.”
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“I am going to understand the verdict and if it allows, I am going to apply for a marriage certificate,” Sarode said. She is aware that this might be a long-term plan.
“I will talk to my lawyer friends. The judges have thought of everyone, not just us, I am sure… it might not be all that we want. So,
I will wait… because I know that what I want is achievable.”
