How a Name Change and Marriage to a Pakistani Man Led to Legal Trouble for Mumbai Woman Sanam Khan

A decision made nearly a decade ago by Nagma Noor Maqsoodali, who disliked her birth name, has landed her in legal trouble. At 18, Nagma changed her name to Sanam Khan with the help of a local shopkeeper when applying for an Aadhaar Card. However, she did not follow the legal procedure for a name change, which later led to her arrest.

In 2022, Nagma, now 27, married a Pakistani man through an online nikaah and moved to Abbottabad with her two daughters earlier this year. When she returned to Thane in July 2023 to care for her ailing mother, her travel documents, including her passport issued under the name Sanam Khan, were scrutinized by authorities. This led to the discovery of her name change without proper legal documentation, resulting in her arrest on July 25.

Nagma spent three days being questioned by police at the Vartak Nagar police station about how she obtained official documents in her new name. The police also charged and arrested the shopkeeper who helped her obtain the Aadhaar Card using forged documents.

The police explained that Nagma should have legally changed her name through a gazette notification and newspaper notice before using the new name on official documents. Since this was not done, the authorities flagged her documents during her travel between India and Pakistan.

Nagma's mother, Sapna Khan, admitted that they had made a mistake by not following the correct procedure for the name change but have since rectified it by filing the necessary notice.

Currently out on bail, Nagma is unable to return to Pakistan to join her husband and daughters without court approval. An official from the Vartak Nagar police station acknowledged that Nagma’s actions were likely due to ignorance of the proper legal process. The court may take a compassionate view of her situation and allow her to reunite with her family in Pakistan.