Allahabad High Court has ruled that people have a fundamental right to change their names, which the examination rules of the Central Board of Secondary Education cannot override. The high court has allowed a plea from a former CBSE student that challenged the board’s rejection of his application to have his first name changed on his Class XII certificates. The single-judge bench of Justice Pankaj Bhatia cited several Supreme Court and high court rulings and said the right to change one’s name was part of the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.