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Transgender Bill
An amendment bill which provides graded punishment for bodily harm to transgender persons has received the assent of President Draupadi Murmu. Opposition MPs had slammed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, for excluding gays and lesbians from its ambit. An authority has been established to determine whether a person is transgender, a provision that also faced backlash from the opposition. According to a law ministry notification dated March 30, the amended law will come into effect on a date appointed by the Central Government through a notification in the official gazette. During debates in both Houses of Parliament, while the government said the objective is to protect transgender persons, the opposition slammed the proposed legislation for taking away the right to self-determination of identity, such as gay and lesbian individuals, and demanded that it be sent to a standing committee for proper consultations. The bill seeks to give a precise ...
Parliament on Wednesday passed a bill to amend a law on protection and rights of transgender persons that proposes excluding social orientations from the ambit of the statute, with Rajya Sabha giving its nod. The bill, which seeks to amend Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act 2019, also provides for graded punishment based on the gravity of harm inflicted on such people. The bill was passed in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Replying to the debate on the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, in the Upper House, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar said the proposed legislation is an effort to take along all segments of the society together. He said that the bill aims to provide protection to only those who face discrimination due to biological issues. The minister asserted that the amendment will ensure that transgender persons continue to get legal recognition and protection. The Modi government is committed to protecting all
Transgender and queer collectives, along with individuals, on Saturday opposed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, demanding its immediate withdrawal and terming it "discriminatory". Addressing a press conference here, community representatives alleged that the Bill proposes a restrictive redefinition of "transgender persons". "It collapses intersex and transgender identities into a single category, despite these being distinct experiences. It also removes the right to self-identification, limiting legal recognition to specific socio-cultural identities such as Hijra, Kinnar, Aravani or Jogti, thereby excluding many others," community spokesperson Prasant Meera said. He added that the Bill assumes individuals are forced into transgender identities through "coercion" or "undue influence". The Supreme Court's 2014 NALSA judgment stated that "transgender" is an umbrella term recognising persons whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned at bir
A bill seeking to give a precise definition of the term "transgender" and provide graded punishments that reflect the gravity of the harm inflicted upon such persons was introduced in Lok Sabha on Friday. It also underlines that a transgender person "shall not include, nor shall ever have been so included, persons with different sexual orientations and self-perceived sexual identities". The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill was introduced by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar. It notes that it is imperative to give a precise definition for proper and definitive identification and protection of transgender persons, to whom the benefits of the present law must reach. The protection and benefits that are provided under the present 2019 law are vast in nature, and therefore, care has to be taken that "such identification cannot be extended based on any acquirable characteristics or personal choice or claimed self-perceived identity of an ...
The Delhi government is likely to notify rules for the inclusion of transgender persons under the SMILE scheme, Garima Greh shelter homes and Ayushman Bharat TG Plus health coverage within the next 15 days. An official said that the rules will provide legal recognition, access to livelihood support, healthcare, education, rehabilitation and protection against discrimination for transgender persons. These rules will be in line with the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and constitutional guarantees of equality and dignity, he said. The draft rules have completed the consultation process, and the gazette notification file has been sent for the final signature of the lieutenant governor, after which the rules will be formally notified and implemented across Delhi, he told PTI. The move follows an order issued on November 19, 2025, by the central government, asking all states and Union territories to adopt and implement the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights)
The Delhi government has notified rules for the protection of transgenders' rights, paving the way for the issuance of identity cards to them and forming a welfare board to ensure their well-being, officials said on Wednesday. A recent notification issued by the Social Welfare Department of the government said that in exercise of powers conferred on him, Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena has made the Delhi Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2025. The district magistrates (DMs) concerned will issue a certificate of identity for a transgender person within 30 days of receipt of a duly filled-in application, said the notification. A Transgender Welfare Empowerment Board is to be constituted by the Delhi government. It will consist of the social welfare minister as its ex officio chairman, it said. The Board will also have as its members a representative each from the home, finance, planning, law, labour, health, higher education, education and revenue departments, among othe
Members of the transgender community are demanding a bigger share of tickets for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and the recognition of 'Trans Shakti' in hopes of getting their voices heard. Belonging to one of the country's most marginalised communities, the transgender people said only they can fight for the rights of the community whose members are shunned during the day and exploited at night. Hoping that more political parties will give tickets to transgender people for the general elections, the community members said the narrative of 'Nari Shakti' (women empowerment) must be transcended so that 'Trans Shakti' can also get due recognition and representation. Meera Parida, Vice President of Biju Mahila Janata Dal, who was born as Mayadhar Parida, lamented how despite 75 years since Independence, the trans community members are shunned during the day and exploited at night. "I am ready to contest Vidhan Sabha or Lok Sabha polls if the party decides to entrust me with the ...