AP high court expresses displeasure at police for not filing report on transgender applicant
Vijayawada: The high court on Monday criticised the police for not filing the report on the decision taken regarding the representation given by transgender Ganga Bhavani, who sought to have her application for the SI post considered. The court summoned principal secretary for home, Kumar Viswajit, to appear before it on the next date of the hearing. Ganga Bhavani moved the high court in 2019, contending that no option for transgender individuals was given in the application for the sub-inspector (SI) eligibility test. The counsel for the petitioner, Salmon Raju, told the court that the petitioner was born male but later, through a sex change operation, became a transgender. In the application for the SI eligibility test, only male and female options were provided, and no option was available for transgenders. In the absence of an option, the petitioner applied as female, participated in the written examination, and secured eligible marks under the BC category. However, the petitioner was not allowed to proceed to the next stage of the selection process. Challenging this, Ganga Bhavani filed a petition, but the high court dismissed it. Challenging the dismissal of the petition, Ganga Bhavani filed an appeal petition. A division bench of the high court on Dec 12, 2024, directed the police department to make a decision on Ganga Bhavani’s representation in accordance with the decisions taken by the home department on Nov 22 and asked for a report to be filed on the same. On Oct 6, the HC bench comprising Justices Battu Devanand and Hariharanatha Sharma expressed displeasure with the home secretary as no report was filed and directed the home secretary to appear before them. On Monday, additional advocate general Sambasiva Prasad informed the bench that home secretary Kumar Viswajit could not attend physically and appeared in virtual mode. While allowing Viswajit’s request, the HC directed him to appear physically on the next date of hearing. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Bijapur leads in sexual minority survey; Bengaluru shows least progress due to stigma, say officials
BENGALURU: Karnataka’s ongoing sexual minority survey, the first ever in India, has managed to reach only about 6,000 transgender persons so far, against an estimated 43,000 across the state, officials from the Women and Child Development Department said. While districts like Bijapur and Bagalkote have shown encouraging participation, Bengaluru Urban has recorded the least progress. “This is the first state-wide enumeration of transgenders in India,” said Mahesh Babu N, Director, Women and Child Development Department. “As per EPIC card data, there are around 43,000 transgender persons, but in 15 days, only 6,000 have been identified. Bengaluru is volatile — enumerators are often shouted at or told to go to hamams and homes to collect data,” he said. The department attributes the low turnout in urban areas to social stigma and lack of trust. “Some trans men fear that revealing their identity could disturb their family lives, as many are married and have children,” sources explained. Hospitals have emerged as safer enumeration points since people visit them routinely for treatment. Mahesh Babu said the survey will guide future welfare and skilling schemes. “This information will help channel CSR for group housing and employment programmes. The government is spending about ₹1 lakh a day on remuneration for enumerators — nearly ₹1 crore overall. The socio-economically disadvantaged members stand to gain through better policy design if they make their presence known,” he said. However, many in the community remain wary. Jaanu, a ventriloquist, said, “People don’t want to come out for fear of stigma from neighbors. My friend refused to register because she has a family. I told her it’s confidential and could help with pension or housing.” Nakshatra, a Bengaluru-based member, said, “People fear data misuse. In the past, trans women have been blackmailed by predators posing as NGOs.” Officials said participation was higher in Bijapur due to earlier pilot projects and stronger community engagement. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Who Is Preeti, Jan Suraaj’s Transgender Candidate For Bihar Assembly
PollsPrashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj fielded Preeti from Bhorey, a constituency in Bihar’s Gopalganj. The 51 candidates unveiled Thursday by Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party showcased a sparkling collection of doctors, lawyers, retired bureaucrats and police officers. The party also fielded Preeti Kinnar, a transgender woman. Preeti has been named as the candidate from Bhorey, a constituency in Bihar’s Gopalganj. Preeti, a social activist, has been pitted against a high-profile incumbent minister of the state. The sitting MLA of Bhore is Sunil Kumar, Nitish Kumar’s minister of education. In an interview with NDTV Thursday, Kishor, a poll strategist-turned politician, said his candidates were chosen on basis of their work for the people and if they were not elected, it would reflect on the people of Bihar and not him. “If you don’t vote for such people, then it is not a burden on Prashant Kishor. This is a burden on the shoulders of the people of Bihar,” said the chief of Jan Suraaj Party, which is contesting its maiden election and is seen as a wild card. Among the candidates the party chose is well-known mathematician KC Sinha, who served as the Vice Chancellor of Patna University. The books he authored have been followed in Bihar’s schools for decades. There is also YB Giri, the candidate from Manjhi, a former Additional Advocate General of Bihar and Additional Solicitor General of India for central government cases that came up in Patna High Court. Reports said Preeti, a resident of Kalyanpur village of Bhore block, has been associated with social work for long. The party believes that her understanding of local issues will help her bring the concerns of the common man to the House of Assembly, reports said. Transgender candidates have been contesting elections for over a decade in India, but not many win. Early this year, a transgender candidate who contested the assembly elections in Delhi as an Independent secured 85 votes. Last year, all three transgender candidates who contested the Lok Sabha elections lost their security deposits, highlighting the challenges faced by the community in gaining political representation in the country. Reported by : Somu Anand Edited by : Anindita Sanyal Courtesy : NDTV Note: This news is originally published on https:/ndtv.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Transgender person can’t adopt kids: HC
Chennai: Madras high court on Tuesday refused any relief to a transwoman who wanted to legally adopt a child. The court held that Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 does not provide for legal adoption by a transgender person. For a transgender person to legally adopt a child, the regulation must be amended to include such persons as eligible for adoption, Justice M Dhandapani said. “Unless a writ of mandamus is moved against Union govt seeking to make an appropriate amendment in the Act, the relief sought cannot be granted,” the court said. The court then granted liberty to transwoman K Prithika Yashini, the first transperson appointed sub-inspector of police in TN, to approach Centre seeking an appropriate amendment to the Act enabling a transperson to adopt a child. According to the petitioner, in 2016, she moved the HC since her application for the post of sub-inspector was rejected. With a favourable order from the HC, she was appointed as a sub-inspector and is presently working as an assistant immigration officer. In 2021, she decided to adopt a child and approached Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA). On Sept 22, 2022, the authority rejected her application on the grounds that she cannot legally adopt a child since she is a transgender person. Aggrieved, she moved the present petition challenging the order of CARA. She contended that the rejection of her application amounts to discrimination and infringement of her rights as a transgender person.tnn Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Interpretation of rape against transgenders: HC seeks reply
New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Wednesday agreed to examine a PIL seeking to define sexual offences against transgender women and children also as rape under criminal law. A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela were sceptical if it could “interpret” the statute but sought the stand of the Centre on the petition. It appointed senior advocate N Hariharan as amicus curiae. The plea has been filed by one Chandresh Jain, seeking to interpret Section 63 (offence of rape) of BNS to include transgender women and such children in its ambit. “Our prima facie opinion is this interpretation is perhaps not possible. If that were possible, then 376 IPC would have long ago included transgender women in its ambit. The call must be taken by the legislature, keeping in view that no one can be punished for an offence not defined in the statute,” the court said. The plea sought a direction that the provisions of the BNS and related criminal laws be interpreted in a gender-inclusive and identity-affirming manner where the word “woman” includes trans women and children so that they may be recognised as victims of rape. According to the plea, Chapter V of the BNS, which deals with offences against women and children, must include trans women and trans children so that they are afforded the same legal protection as a man who undergoes a change of sex. The PIL advocates the need to ensure their equal protection under the law so that such victims can also lodge an FIR, experience victim-sensitive investigation, and fair trial processes. “Despite landmark constitutional pronouncements in NALSA v. Union of India (2014) and Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India (2018), transgender persons continue to remain excluded from essential criminal protections extended to cisgender women, particularly in the domain of sexual offences, domestic violence, trafficking and workplace harassment,” the PIL contended. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
HC: Transgender inclusion in jobs still not adequate
New Delhi: Lamenting the lack of “adequate steps” by both the Centre and Delhi govt to ensure transgenders’ participation in public employment, Delhi High Court on Monday decided to treat the matter as a public interest litigation (PIL). The court expanded the scope of an individual plea—seeking reservation for a court attendant post—into a PIL to examine the measures taken in Delhi for the welfare of transgender persons since the landmark 2014 NALSA verdict of the Supreme Court. The verdict recognised transgender people as the “third gender”, affirming their fundamental rights to equality, dignity and self-identity under the Constitution. “We are of the prima facie opinion that, for the inclusion of transgender persons in society and to secure their full and effective participation, the govt by now should have taken some policy decision to provide a quota for them in public employment as already mandated by the Supreme Court. However, no such policy decision appears to be in sight to date, as far as public employment is concerned,” observed a a bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedella. The HC noted that since the issues raised concern the welfare of transgender persons, the matter will be heard as a PIL. The Centre, Delhi govt and the National Council for Transgender Persons (NCTP) have been made parties to the proceedings and asked to submit their responses. The court acknowledged the “concern expressed that after the NALSA verdict requisite steps have not been taken by the govt” and pointed out that the Supreme Court had directed transgender persons to be treated as socially and educationally backward classes, entitled to all forms of reservation, including in public appointments. During the hearing, the court referred to a 2021 notification from the Delhi govt allowing a five-year relaxation in age and a 5% concession in qualifying marks for transgender applicants seeking public employment. It questioned whether these concessions were applied in the latest recruitment drive by the Delhi Subordinate Service Selection Board (DSSSB) for court attendant posts. The plea alleged that despite the SC ruling, no such reservation was provided to transgender applicants in the recent notification. HC noted that “Parliament has since enacted a law on protection of rights and framed rules. However, it appears that the welfare measures required under these statutory obligations have not been implemented.” The court ordered the Delhi govt to decide within 10 days on extending reservation for transgender persons in the DSSSB advertisement, noting that many transgender individuals were unable to apply as they were not given relaxation. It also directed the DSSSB to publicise the decision once made. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Delhi Police nab 10 transgender Bangladeshi illegal immigrants
New Delhi: Ten transgender Bangladeshi nationals, residing illegally in Delhi, have been apprehended by the Delhi Police in three separate operations, officials said on Tuesday. The operations were carried out by the Foreigner Cell of the North-West District Police, with eight individuals detained in the jurisdiction of Police Station Shalimar Bagh and two in the jurisdiction of Police Station Mahendra Park. According to officials, during verification, it was discovered that the individuals were living in India without valid documents and were involved in begging during the day while engaging in objectionable activities at night. “Recently, information was received regarding the movement of some suspected Bangladeshi nationals near Haiderpur Metro Station and New Subzi Mandi, Mahendra Park. Acting on this input, regular surveillance and area domination exercises were conducted in the said localities,” the officials stated. Based on the gathered intelligence, a dedicated team comprising Sub-Inspector Sapan, Sub-Inspector Shyambir, Assistant Sub-Inspector Rajender, Head Constables Vikram, Kapil Kumar, Vikash Yadav, Parveen, Tika Ram, and Kapil, along with Women Head Constables Poonam and Deepak, Constables Nishant Mattoo, Hawa Singh, and Deepak Bangar, was constituted under the close supervision of Inspector Chaitanya Abhijit, incharge of the Foreigner Cell, and overall supervision of Rajeev Kumar, ACP, Foreigners Cell. Acting on actionable intelligence gathered during routine checks, the team conducted raids with the help of informers. During these operations, eight suspicious individuals were intercepted near Haiderpur Metro Station within Shalimar Bagh jurisdiction, while two others were caught near New Subzi Mandi in the Mahendra Park area. The authorities further stated that during initial questioning, the suspects claimed to be Indian citizens, but their inconsistent responses and nervous behaviour raised doubts about their claims. A detailed investigation involving document verification, analysis of digital footprints, and examination of photographic evidence later revealed strong links to Bangladesh. “Corroborating indicators, such as online connections with Bangladeshi entities, confirmed their identity as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants,” the police said. During further inquiry, photographs recovered from their mobile phones and Instagram accounts depicted locations in Bangladesh. On sustained interrogation, the accused admitted their Bangladeshi nationality and even produced their Bangladeshi National ID cards. “It was further revealed that they had undergone Gender-Affirming Surgery (GAS) to alter their physical appearance and resemble women. To conceal their identity, they regularly used heavy makeup, sarees or salwar suits, wigs, and other feminine accessories. They had also modified their voice and body language to imitate female mannerisms,” the police statement said. The investigation confirmed that all ten individuals were Bangladeshi nationals living in Delhi without valid travel documents, visas, or permits, in clear violation of the Foreigners Act, 1946, and other relevant immigration laws. Courtesy : THI Note: This news is originally published on https:/thehansindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
In a first in Maharashtra, transgender community forum gets licence to run ration shop
KOLHAPUR: In a first in Maharashtra, a forum for transgender community has got a licence to run a ration shop in Kolhapur city. “The transgender community sought a ration shop for them as they claimed they go through social discrimination, poverty, and unemployment. They made the demand to state food commission chairman Mahesh Dhawale. Following due procedure, Maitri, a forum for the transgender community, was granted the licence,” district supplies officer Mohini Chavan said. District guardian minister Prakash Abitkar handed over the licence to Maitri chief Mayuri Alavekar Saturday. “The transgender community members were confused as to which line – men or women – they needed to stand in to get ration. Also, without a ration card, many could not get benefits. Our shop will be open to all types of individuals,” Alavekar told TOI. Maitri has 500 transgender people as its members. Established in 2007, Maitri focuses on sex education and health within the transgender community. “Due to the orientation and gender confusion, many have left their homes. They don’t have their own permanent house. Through Maitri and district administration, we have got ration cards approved for many such individuals,” Alavekar said. District collector Amol Yedge said the initiative is an important step towards economic independence and social inclusiveness of the community by providing them dignified employment opportunities. In Kolhapur, several progressive measures have been implemented for transgender people, including access to higher education, employment opportunities, priority in the voting process, and reserved beds at CPR Hospital for treatment. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Police conduct counselling for transgender community
Ongole: Prakasam district police have conducted special counselling sessions for the transgender community in Ongole’s Indirammagari Colony and Islampet areas under the supervision of Women’s Police Station Inspector P Sudhakar. The police advised transgender individuals that stopping vehicles on national highways or main roads to seek money and harassing the public is illegal. They emphasised that suddenly halting vehicles creates accident risks for following traffic, and such actions must be avoided. They warned against harassing, threatening, or intimidating people for money, stating that legal action would be taken against such behaviour. Instead, they encouraged the community to utilise government schemes and opportunities for self-employment to lead dignified lives. Police assured the transgender community of full departmental support in bringing positive social change. Meanwhile, the department has also conducted searches at firecracker agents and used drone cameras at village outskirts, fields, and hill areas to identify illegal activities under various police station limits in the district. The police warned the firecracker shops that unauthorised sales won’t be tolerated, filed cases against drivers under the influence of alcohol, and arrested 55 rummy players at nine locations. The police requested that the public call 112 or 9121102266 to report information about illegal activities anonymously. Courtesy : THI Note: This news is originally published on https:/thehansindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
From living in trains to heading transgender rights board: Sonalee Chaukekar’s journey of grit
With her appointment as co-chairperson of the Transgender Persons Protection of Rights and Welfare Board for the Konkan Division on Tuesday, Chaukekar hopes that transgender persons abandoned by their own will have a forum to approach. Mumbai: Once disowned by her family, Sonalee Chaukekar, 35, spent a month not just begging but living on Mumbai’s local trains. “I would sleep in the train, use public toilets to clean up, and ask someone for a vada pav whenever I got hungry. I had to forget about clean clothes and my mother’s cooking,” said Chaukekar. She now works in the front office of a private firm in a swanky building in Malad. With her appointment as co-chairperson of the Transgender Persons Protection of Rights and Welfare Board for the Konkan Division on Tuesday, Chaukekar hopes that transgender persons abandoned by their own will have a forum to approach. Chaukekar, one of two trans women appointed to the board, is aware that her experience will resonate with many, and she has resolved to work towards empowering transgender persons. “Most transgender persons have to separate from their families. They face many issues of housing, healthcare, harassment, bullying, and we will strive to get them the respect that every individual deserves,” said Chaukekar, a resident of Bandra East. The Konkan Division of the Board will cater to Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and the neighbouring coastal districts. “I’ve experienced everything. Bullying and harassment in school, ostracisation, mental torture, but I had nowhere to go. I kept it all to myself. But with our divisional board, I hope that our people (transgenders) become aware that there is a platform for them,” said Chaukekar, who studied in a school in Bandra East. She is currently pursuing a two-year MBA course in finance at Welingkar Institute of Management, and eventually found acceptance from her family. She lives close to her mother in the neighbourhood she grew up in. The board was constituted under the Maharashtra government’s social justice and special assistance department on December 13, 2018. It was formed under the chairmanship of the divisional commissioner (revenue). The functions of the divisional board include overseeing the implementation of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, protection against discrimination, access to welfare and grievance redressal, data collection and supporting the rescue and rehabilitation of transgender persons. Chaukekar said that the board will also have a remit for programmes on financial literacy, livelihoods, and skill development to help transgenders secure appropriate employment opportunities. Nilofer Maske, 42, also appointed a member of the divisional board, has been working for two decades as part of the Humsafar Trust to empower transgender people. She has worked extensively to sensitise law enforcement agencies, legal, medical, and educational institutions to the rights of transgender people. Maske, who has worked across India, said that there is greater awareness in metropolitan cities, but transgender persons in remote parts of the country still struggle with discrimination and acceptance. Maske, who has a Bachelor’s degree in science, said that her focus in the future would be on skill development for ageing transgender persons who struggle with finding shelter and making ends meet. By Mayura Janwalkar Courtesy : Hindustan Times Note: This news is originally published on https:/hindustantimes.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights