Amid TMC merger buzz, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut urges NCP (SP) to merge with Congress
Sources said the NCP (SP) remains divided on the issue, with one section favouring a merger with the Congress and another advocating the party’s independent identity. MUMBAI: After reports of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) merging with the Congress, speculation has now emerged about the possibility of the NCP (SP) merging with the grand old party. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said that the time has come for regional parties that originated from the Congress, such as the TMC and NCP (SP), to rejoin the Congress if they genuinely want to defeat the BJP. Raut said that the Congress is the party that can lead the fight against the BJP under the leadership of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Therefore, all parties aligned with the Congress should merge with their parent party, he said. According to Raut, such a move would make the Congress a much stronger force in India. Reacting to the suggestion, NCP (SP) Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule said the party would consider Raut’s remarks. She said that Raut is a senior leader whose experience is valuable and, therefore, whatever he has suggested would be considered. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, reacting to the development, said that parties considering a merger have experienced leadership and do not need anyone’s advice on whether to merge with the Congress. He said that some people in politics offer unsolicited advice even when it is not sought. In this photo from Feb. 7, 2025, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut addresses a press conference at the Constitution Club in New Delhi. ‘Seeking structural changes’: NCP (SP) MP Sule vows to bring bill to stop horse trading “I am sure that the regional parties will not merge with a sinking ship like the Congress party. Congress is no longer as strong a party as it was earlier. Therefore, the regional parties that came out of Congress will not make the mistake and merge with a dying party. “Even though they dare to make a mistake, that would not have an impact on the BJP. In fact, it will create more political space for the BJP so our expansion will continue even though the opposition consolidates,” Fadnavis said. Sources said the NCP (SP) remains divided on the issue, with one section favouring a merger with the Congress and another advocating the party’s independent identity. However, any decision will ultimately rest with Sharad Pawar. The party will first examine the merger proposal in detail, and only then will a final decision be taken, a source said, requesting anonymity. Sudhir Suryawanshi Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Reconsider rejection of full expansion of INS Baaz runway: Jairam Ramesh to Rajnath on Great Nicobar project
Jairam Ramesh said thar has written over the past two years on at least four different occasions highlighting the demonstrably “dubious nature” of the environmental impact assessment of the Great Nicobar Island Project in its totality. NEW DELHI: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday wrote to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over the Great Nicobar Island Project and urged him to reconsider the rejection of the full expansion of the INS Baaz runway. In his latest letter to Singh, the former environment minister said he had written to the Defence Minister on May 16, 2026 on the Great Nicobar Island Project suggesting that in order to minimise its adverse ecological impacts and also meet strategic objectives, the expansion of the existing runway at INS Baaz on Campbell Bay could be considered as an alternative to building a greenfield airport at Gandhi Nagar-Shastri Nagar area of Great Nicobar Island. “Subsequently, on June 8, 2026 there were reports in the media attributed to ‘defence ministry sources’ saying that the runway expansion at INS Baaz would be limited because lengthening to beyond 4500 feet will have adverse ecological impacts,” Ramesh pointed out. “I appreciate the sudden worry for ecological protection but please permit me to submit the following facts for your consideration: The proposed site at Gandhi Nagar-Shastri Nagar needs cutting of two forest-covered hills of 115 metres. The proposed site comprises around 225 acres of protected forest and 130 acres of deemed forest–which are part of the territory of the Shompen tribal community and are currently being used by them,” Ramesh said in his letter. He further pointed out that the proposed site sits directly on about 142 acres of Island Coastal Zone Regulation (ICRZ)-1A which enjoy the highest protection under the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2019 and that include turtle nesting beaches, corals and nesting grounds of the endangered Nicobar Megapode. “The proposed site involves reclamation of a creek and relocation of saltwater crocodiles. The proposed site sits directly on two villages where 234 ex-servicemen settler families reside and they will have to undergo relocation for the third time in recent years,” Ramesh said. He also argued that the proposed site is in a largely undisturbed, pristine forest bordered by a coastline with ecologically sensitive areas “The proposed site has not been subject to any serious and systematic environmental impact assessment especially since Great Nicobar has been designated as an Important Bird Area, an Endemic Bird Area and also holds the significance of being situated on two international bird flyways–the Central Asian and the East Asian- Australasian bird Flyways–that are accessed every year by several migratory species of birds that flock Great Nicobar seasonally,” he pointed out. Noting that the proposed airport site at Galathea Bay was first declared as a dual- purpose airport by the Union Home Ministry on March 30, 2022, Ramesh said it has taken the Defence Ministry over six years to make some statement on it, albeit verbally and anonymously. “It has been compelled to do so because the disastrous ecological impacts of the Great Nicobar Island Project which includes the proposed airport, in addition to the transshipment port, township and other facilities, have become all-too-evident and are inviting wide-spread concern,” the Congress general secretary in-charge communications said. “In sum, I request you to reconsider your rejection of the full expansion of the INS Baaz runway that has been recommended by some distinguished naval personnel themselves,” Ramesh said. The Congress leader copied the letter to the Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, to whom, Ramesh said, he has written over the past two years on at least four different occasions highlighting the demonstrably “dubious nature” of the environmental impact assessment of the Great Nicobar Island Project in its totality. Ramesh’s letter to Singh comes days after Defence Ministry sources said India is undertaking the Great Nicobar Island project to advance its strategic maritime and economic interests. They dismissed its critics as suffering from “geographical illiteracy”. The sources had said the runway at the INS Baaz, the Indian naval air station, in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, will not be part of the GNI project. The runway of INS Baaz was recently expanded to 4,500 ft and its further expansion requires significant land reclamation and it will impact tribal area, flora and fauna, they had said. The GNI development project is a strategically significant national initiative designed to safeguard India’s maritime interest, the sources had said. The government is planning to build an international container transshipment port (ICTP), a civilian-cum-naval airport, a township and a power plant under the Great Nicobar Island (GNI) project. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said the government’s argument that the Great Nicobar Island project is about defence and a transshipment port is a “lie”, and alleged that it is actually about benefiting one businessman so that he can build hotels and casinos on India’s most irreplaceable ecological land. Gandhi had also released an over 16-minute video earlier this month based on his visit to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in late April and urged people to sign a petition to tell the government – “we choose green over greed”. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
‘Will fight under Kharge, Rahul’: Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring hints at no CM face for Congress in 2027 Punjab polls
Chandigarh: Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Thursday hinted at the party not contesting the 2027 assembly elections with a CM face, and instead planning to fall back on its national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi. Interacting with media, Warring said the Congress would fight under the leadership of Kharge and Rahul, and there was no doubt about it. Asked about his own role, he said he always was a worker of the party and would continue to serve it as one. Warring’s statement comes amid claims by the opposition that there were too many contenders for the CM face in the Congress. In the 2017 assembly elections, which it had won, the Congress had projected Capt Amarinder Singh, who has since moved to the BJP, as its CM face. In 2022, the party’s choice was Charanjit Singh Channi. Asserting that the Congress was in a commanding position, Warring said the Congress would form the next govt in Punjab. “Every Congress worker in the state wants it and is committed to achieving it,” he added. Replying to another question on AAP leaders describing the Akalis and the BJP as the “chitta party” and the “ED party”, respectively, Warring said the BJP was undoubtedly misusing central agencies against opposition leaders across the country. “However, AAP is no different. It misuses the vigilance bureau against its political opponents in Punjab. If BJP is the ‘ED party’, AAP is the ‘vigilance party’,” he said. 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
The ‘Dark Web’ of Human Trafficking in Bihar! A Three-Tier Syndicate Stretches From Villages to Cities, Targeting Poor and Dalit Girls
Bihar Human Trafficking: A large human trafficking network is operating in Bihar. Recent operations by the Bihar Police have revealed that underprivileged girls from backward and rural areas are being targeted. Patna: According to recent investigations and rescue operations by police and social organizations, a highly organized three-tier human trafficking network is reportedly targeting adolescent girls from poor and Dalit families in rural and backward areas of Bihar. This network operates through a well-planned system in which rural girls are lured with false promises of jobs, marriage, friendship, or a better life and taken to major cities across the country. Many victims are later forced into domestic work, bonded labor, or marriages against their will. What do the statistics say? These revelations come amid growing concern about the rising number of missing children in Bihar, which is being identified as a major source of human trafficking. According to official data, 12,000 to 14,000 children go missing in Bihar every year. This number reached 14,699 in 2025 alone. Adolescent girls remain the most vulnerable group. Nearly 60 percent of all missing children in the state are girls under the age of 18. The situation was particularly alarming in 2023, when 12,299 children were reported missing. Nearly 75 percent of these were girls, meaning three out of every four missing children were girls. Police Action Continues Police and social organizations have rescued thousands of girls over the past two years. During 2024-25, police rescued 1,970 girls, while another 1,492 girls were rescued during 2025-26. These operations have helped investigators understand the structure and functioning of trafficking gangs operating in Bihar and other states. According to investigators, the human trafficking system operates through three interconnected layers. What do the human trafficking statistics say? Every year, 12,000 to 14,000 children go missing in Bihar. This figure reached 14,699 in 2025. Adolescent and minor girls are most at risk. Nearly 60 percent of children are girls under the age of 18. In 2023, 12,299 children were reported missing. Girls constituted 75 percent of the missing. Police rescued 1,970 girls during 2024-25. Another 1,492 girls were rescued during 2025-26. An active network at the rural level? At the first stage, local youth act as agents and identify vulnerable girls in villages. Victims are often lured through friendships, love affairs, marriage proposals, or promises of jobs. Agents reportedly work under pressure to recruit girls within a short period of time. Once trust is established, girls are persuaded to leave their homes and villages. Trafficking Method After leaving their villages, victims are handed over to transportation networks. They are often transported from one place to another at railway stations and bus terminals. In some cases, victims are allegedly drugged or threatened to comply. They are then transported to distant cities via long-distance trains and other modes of transportation. Trafficking Centers in Cities! The final stage operates primarily in metropolitan cities. Victims are reportedly held in undisclosed locations, subjected to physical and mental abuse, and stripped of their identities. Many women are allegedly sold into forced marriage or forced to work as bonded laborers. Case Study Number One A 19-year-old woman from Sahibganj was trafficked to update her Aadhaar card. After leaving home, she was allegedly taken to Hyderabad. Lured with the promise of employment, the traffickers took her to a nearby city and sold her. Police later recovered the 19-year-old woman. Case Study Number Two A 15-year-old student from Rohtas was subjected to human trafficking. Her friend lured her, drugged her, and then ran away. He took the student to Secunderabad and then escaped. The victim was rescued by police at Secunderabad railway station. Case Study Number Three An 18-year-old girl from East Champaran was lured and abducted by her friend. The girl was taken to Secunderabad and forced into bonded labor. Police rescued the girl before she could be allegedly forced into marriage. Case Study Number Four A 22-year-old woman in Gopalganj went out to buy medicine. The woman was first lured with the promise of marriage. The woman was then forcibly taken to Kolkata. Police successfully recovered the woman after 15 days. A rescue team traveled directly from Kolkata to Hyderabad. Where a 21-year-old woman from Siwan was rescued from the same network. Girls Reaching the South! Experts believe that over six girls have been rescued from Hyderabad and Secunderabad with the help of the police in the last six months. According to them, most of the victims were lured with promises of permanent jobs or marriage. They were forced to work long hours before being prepared for forced marriage. What does Bihar Police say? Suhita Anupam, Additional Director General of Police, Vulnerable Classes and Crime Investigation Department, said that major trafficking centers across Bihar are being identified and placed under special surveillance. She said that as a precautionary measure, registration has been made mandatory for orchestra groups and similar organizations. The ADG also said that villages with repeated incidents of human trafficking are being identified and monitored. Anupam further said that an online monitoring system has been established at the police headquarters level to more effectively monitor human trafficking cases. Public awareness and community vigilance remain crucial to prevent human trafficking and protect vulnerable girls from exploitation. Edited by: Ashutosh Kumar Pandey About the Author Ashutosh Kumar Pandey, Courtesy: Hindi News, serves as Principal Digital Content Producer at Navbharat Times (Digital). He joined Navbharat Times, the digital wing of the Times Group, in September 2022. Currently, Ashutosh manages the desk at NBT Bihar-Jharkhand Digital. Courtesy: Hindi News
A young man who went to meet a girl in Tehri was beaten to death and died in the hospital. Where is society heading?
Ketan Lal, who went to meet a girl in Tehri, was beaten to death and then died in the hospital, raising the issue. Dehradun: The recent murder of a Dalit youth in Tehri, Uttarakhand, has shocked everyone. The youth was beaten so badly that he died. His only crime was to meet a minor girl, but he paid the price with his life. The brutality inflicted on the youth sent shivers down everyone’s spine. A video of the youth screaming for water before his death has surfaced, which is spine-chilling in itself. Currently, police have arrested two more accused in the case of the death of Dalit youth Ketan Lal in Kholgarh village, Lambgaon police station area. Two other accused were previously handcuffed. This brings the total number of arrests to four. Following this incident, an atmosphere of anger, concern, and a demand for justice has prevailed throughout the region. Meanwhile, the police administration is working to piece together the story. Why was he subjected to such violence and what exactly happened? Let us explain. Ketan Lal had gone to meet a girl: It is being reported that Ketan Lal of Dewal village was friends with a girl. On the night of June 7-8, after receiving a call from the girl, he and his friend Diwakar Dimri rode a bike to Kholgarh village, but the girl’s father and relatives intercepted him there. It is also being said that the father may have sent the message from the girl’s mobile phone. This incident is also being alleged to have been due to caste-based love/friendship. Meanwhile, the girl’s father, brother, and others held Ketan Lal and his friend Diwakar hostage and beat them. It is being said that they beat him in front of the girl. Furthermore, in the morning, the accused themselves called Ketan’s father and told him everything. Following this, Ketan Lal’s father, Dhanpal Lal, went to the Lambgaon police station and filed a written complaint. In the complaint, he alleged that his son, Ketan Lal, and his friend, Diwakar Dimri, were brutally assaulted by some people. It was alleged that Yashveer Singh Panwar and other members of his family not only beat the two youths but also held them hostage in the house. The complaint also stated that the assault was so severe that Ketan Lal suffered serious injuries and his condition continued to deteriorate. Ketan Lal was immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment by his family, but despite the best efforts of doctors, his life could not be saved. Ketan Lal died while undergoing treatment at the hospital. This incident shocked the entire area and the matter quickly became a topic of public discussion. A video of Ketan before his death also surfaced, in which he was writhing in pain, asking for water, saying, “I’m going to die, I’ve been beaten so badly…” Another youth’s hand fractured, hospital treatment ongoing: Ketan Lal wasn’t the only victim in the incident. Diwakar Dimri, who was with him, was also allegedly attacked. According to the complaint, the accused also severely assaulted Diwakar, resulting in serious injuries and a fractured hand. He is currently undergoing treatment in the hospital. Diwakar’s condition and his statements are also considered crucial to the police investigation. Investigating agencies are trying to determine the circumstances of the incident, the real reason for the dispute, and how the fight unfolded. Police believe that the statements of eyewitnesses and the injured youth will play a crucial role in uncovering the truth of the matter. Police’s swift action, arrests of accused continue: Tehri SSP Shweta Choubey says that given the seriousness of the case, police acted swiftly from the beginning. Two accused were arrested first. This includes the girl’s brother and father. Now, with the arrest of two more people, the police have clearly indicated that the investigation will not be allowed to falter at any level. They say that various aspects of the case are still being investigated. Further action will be taken based on evidence, medical reports, eyewitness accounts, and other available facts. If the role of other individuals is revealed during the investigation, legal action will be taken against them as well. The post-mortem report is currently awaited. Scheduled Caste Commission takes suo motu cognizance of the death of a Dalit youth: The incident has drawn the attention of not only the police administration but also state-level institutions. The Uttarakhand Scheduled Caste Commission, taking suo motu cognizance of the case, has deemed it a serious matter. The Commission has summoned a detailed report from the Tehri Senior Superintendent of Police and has pledged to monitor the progress of the investigation. A statement issued by the Commission stated that incidents of atrocity, violence, or discrimination against any person belonging to the Scheduled Caste community will be taken with utmost seriousness. The Commission also directed the police administration to ensure a fair, transparent, and timely investigation. Rajesh Singh Raja Koli, a member of the Uttarakhand Scheduled Castes Commission, expressed deep concern over the incident. “The Commission is working with utmost sensitivity in cases of atrocities, harassment, and discrimination against members of the Scheduled Caste community. The Commission will continuously monitor the situation to ensure strict legal action against the perpetrators.” – Rajesh Singh Raja Koli, Member, Uttarakhand Scheduled Caste Commission Furthermore, Rajesh Singh Raja Koli says that the law provides equal protection to all citizens and any form of caste discrimination or violence is against democratic values. Therefore, it is extremely important to ensure justice in such cases. This is not just a crime, but also a warning to society: Social activist Anoop Nautiyal also described this incident as extremely sad and worrying. He says that this incident should not be seen only as a criminal act. Rather, it must also be understood as a reflection of larger social issues facing society. “Even after decades of independence, if incidents of caste-based tension, violence, and discrimination continue to surface in society, it is a matter for introspection. Society
Justice Balakrishnan Commission report on SC status for Dalit converts ready for submission
The Commission, set up in October 2022, has got several extensions; it was to study the discrimination faced by Dalit converts, their demand for SC status, the opposition to the demand, and the impact on existing SC communities The Justice (Retd.) K.G. Balakrishnan Commission examining the issue of Scheduled Caste status for Dalit converts has finished its study and prepared the report it was tasked with almost four years ago, The Hindu has learnt. The three-member Commission of Inquiry was constituted by the Union government in October 2022, just as the Supreme Court was about to resume hearing a batch of pleas that sought SC status for Dalit Muslims and Christians. The issue has been pending in the top court for 20 years now. The Commission’s mandate included examining whether SC status can be granted to Dalits who have converted to any faith other than those mentioned in the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order of 1950. Currently, only Dalits of Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh faiths are entitled to an SC classification, unlike the Scheduled Tribe status, which does not have a religion criterion. Multiple extensions Nearly four years after the Commission was formed, officials aware of the matter said that the report has been prepared and is currently being readied in a “book format” for official submission. One official said that the Commission should be able to submit its report “in a few days”. The Commission was initially given a two-year deadline to finish its work and submit a report to the government. Since 2024, the Commission has been given multiple extensions, the last one in April this year, which set the latest deadline at June 10, 2026. Gazette records do not show any further extension granted to the Commission. Pending case According to the government, the Commission’s study was meant to look at the demand for SC status for Dalit converts, the opposition to this demand and its impact on existing SC communities, and the levels and types of discrimination faced by Dalit communities after they convert to other faiths. Even as a batch of petitions remains pending in the Supreme Court on the Constitutional question of whether Dalit Christians and Muslims can be granted SC status, the top court had recently ruled in the case of a Christian pastor from Andhra Pradesh that the religion bar as it exists for the SC classification was “absolute”. Notably, the Union Social Justice Ministry has made multiple submissions to the Supreme Court in these matters, arguing that the SC status should be denied to people who had converted to faiths like Islam and Christianity, citing the foreign origins of these religions, while the religions currently included are Indic in nature. Abhinay Lakshman Courtesy : The Hindu Note: This news is originally published on https:/thehindu.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Dalit youth beaten to death in Barabanki: Dance was taking place on the road after a feast, brutally beaten for asking for way.
A Dalit youth died in a dispute over giving way in Azad Nagar Mirpur village, under the Mati police station area of Barabanki district. The family has alleged that the youth was beaten to death. The family has demanded strict action against the accused. The deceased has been identified as Durgesh Rawat, an electricity worker. According to the family, Durgesh was on his way to his aunt’s village in Mirpur late at night to pick up laborers to repair a high-tension line fault. After the feast, a DJ was playing on the road near Azad Nagar and some people were dancing, blocking the road. Durgesh asked the people present there to give way. This sparked an argument, which soon escalated into a physical altercation. The family alleges that Durgesh was brutally beaten, leaving him seriously injured. The injured Durgesh was taken to the Community Health Center, Deva, where doctors declared him dead. His family arrived at the hospital around 2 a.m. after receiving information from the hospital. The deceased’s family is demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits and justice. Mati Police Station in-charge Ajay Kumar Tripathi stated that the police have received information about the incident and are investigating the matter. He also stated that no written complaint has been received yet. According to the station in-charge, further legal action will be taken based on the receipt of the complaint and the investigation. The police are thoroughly investigating all aspects of the case and will take necessary action once the facts emerge. Sarfaraz Warasi | Barabanki Courtesy: Hindi News
Malout police arrest 7 in Jhorar Dalit youths assault case; 4 accused still at large
Victims were allegedly paraded semi-naked, tied to a tree and beaten over mobile phone theft allegations The Malout Sadar police have traced and arrested all seven unidentified people in the case relating to two Dalit youths, accused of snatching a mobile phone, who were allegedly paraded semi-naked, dragged through fields, tied to a tree and beaten by a group of people at Jhorar village in Muktsar district on Saturday afternoon. However, those already named in the FIR and yet to be arrested are Hardeep Singh, his father Avtar Singh, Rimpa Singh and Manpreet Singh, all residents of Jhorar village. Malout DSP Jaspal Singh said the arrested accused have been identified as Ram Chander, Ramesh Kumar, Hira Sahni, Basant Sahni, Ram Babu Sahni, Ram Bali Sahni and Varinder Sahni, all residents of Nepal, who were staying at co-accused Avtar Singh’s house in the village. The DSP said all seven accused have been sent to judicial custody. A case under various Sections of the BNS and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act had earlier been registered against four accused and seven unidentified persons. Notably, the Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission had taken cognisance of the incident and sought a report from the district police in this regard. Article_Author Archit Watts Courtesy : The Tribune Note: This news is originally published on https:/thetribune.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
2 more arrested in Dalit teen murder case
Dehradun: Two more accused were arrested in connection with the alleged murder of an 18-year-old Dalit boy in Tehri Garhwal district, police said on Thursday, taking the total number of arrests in the case to four. Ketan Lal was allegedly held captive and assaulted by family members of a minor upper-caste girl in Lambgaon area on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. His father alleged that nails were hammered into his son’s legs. The accused were allegedly angry over Lal’s friendship with the girl, who lived in a neighbouring village. Sumit Prasad, 21, a resident of Dhanyo village, and Sachin Panwar, 27, a resident of Kholgarh Walla village in Tehri Garhwal district, allegedly assisted the prime accused, Yashbir Singh Panwar, in assaulting Lal and his friend, Diwakar Dimri. Lal later succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a local hospital on Monday morning. Tehri Garhwal SSP Shweta Chaubey told TOI, “The two were arrested based on Lal’s dying statement to his family and evidence collected during investigation. Panwar drove the pick-up truck used in the crime, while Prasad worked with Yashbir as a driver of an earth-moving machine. Earlier, Yashbir and his father, Vidyadutt, were arrested.” “A forensic team collected evidence from Yashbir’s house, where the accused had allegedly held Lal and his friend captive before assaulting them,” the SSP said. The incident came to light after Ketan’s father informed the police about the attack. An FIR was registered against Yashbir and unidentified others under sections 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (common intention) of BNS, along with section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST Act. 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
‘Equality Is Not a Luxury’: Inside the Supreme Court Battle Over India’s Blood Donation Ban
A 2017 guideline permanently bars gay men, transgender persons and sex workers from donating blood in India. In March 2026, the Supreme Court signalled it would not intervene. We spoke to the petitioners, the lawyers and those living the exclusion. On March 13, 2026, Sharif Rangnekar attended a blood donation camp in his residential colony, organised by a young woman to address what everyone agreed was a real problem. India has an acute shortage of blood. Rangnekar, a petitioner in one of three Supreme Court cases seeking to lift the ban on blood donation by gay men, was glad the drive was happening. And then he felt something else entirely. “I was both happy, but I was also irked at that moment that I can’t participate,” he says. “Had I gone, no one would have stopped me. But when I raised this issue, that you’re doing a great thing, but unfortunately I can’t participate because I’m homosexual, some people expressed surprise. Some were unaware that there’s even a need for your blood to be tested before it is given to anyone.” What followed in that WhatsApp group was a microcosm of the larger national conversation: confusion, defensiveness, and one doctor who insisted the ban was simply a safeguard. “I said, safeguards are exactly what we’re asking for,” Rangnekar recalls. “This is not a safeguard. This is ensuring that we are banned, when there is technology in many parts of the world for safeguarding the interests of everyone.” India’s prohibition on blood donation by gay men, transgender persons and female sex workers is codified in Clauses 12 and 51 of the Guidelines for Blood Donor Selection and Blood Donor Referral, 2017, jointly issued by the National Blood Transfusion Council and NACO. Clause 12 classifies these groups as permanently “at risk.” Clause 51 mandates a lifetime deferral, no waiting period, no individual assessment, no path to eligibility. The logic dates to the AIDS epidemic of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Nearly five decades on, neither the science nor the testing technology is the same. The guidelines are. The legal challenge was brought as a PIL in 2021 by Thangjam Santa Singh, the Manipur-based transgender activist known as Santa Khurai, represented by senior advocate Jayna Kothari. Rangnekar and activist Harish Iyer subsequently filed related petitions. Together, the three cases challenge the blanket exclusion as a violation of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution. In May 2025, the Supreme Court directed the government to constitute an expert committee to review the policy. By August, the committee reported that the 2017 guidelines were “firmly rooted in national and international research.” On 13 March 2026, the Centre told the court that diluting the ban “would be injurious to public interest.” The bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, appeared largely persuaded. The hearing’s most consequential moment was not a ruling but an observation. Chief Justice Kant asked Kothari: “Tell us one good reason that we should issue a direction. After all, there are millions and millions of poor people who take free blood facilities. They cannot afford private hospitals. If there is even a one per cent chance of infection, why should they suffer?” Kothari’s response was direct: all donated blood is tested before use, including for HIV, and Nucleic Acid Testing exists precisely to close the gap the government invokes. She also flagged the central inconsistency: a gay man in a monogamous relationship cannot donate blood, while a heterosexual man engaging in unprotected sex with multiple partners faces no restriction at all. Advocate Rahul Sangwan, who has worked on the legal arguments in higher courts, puts the constitutional problem plainly: “The ban is not rationally connected to the objective of blood safety. It presumes that an entire class of people is unsafe, without any evidence tied to individual conduct. What this ban does is penalise people for their sexual orientation, which is intrinsically against the identity and dignity of an individual, as held in Navtej Singh Johar.” There was a second observation that provoked a sharper response. Reports from Live Law and Bar & Bench quoted the bench characterising the petition as a “luxury.” The framing drew immediate comparisons to 2013, when a previous bench described queer Indians as a “miniscule minority”, a formulation that preceded the recriminalisation of homosexuality under Section 377, and which the court itself repudiated in Navtej Singh Johar in 2018. Rangnekar was direct: “Is the shortage of blood an elite issue? The blood that we donate goes into a blood bank. After that, it doesn’t decide who it goes to based on caste or religion.” Sangwan was unequivocal: “Equality is not a luxury. Calling a petition that challenges identity-based exclusion a luxury petition trivialises the constitutional promise of equality.” The government’s case rests partly on the absence of Nucleic Acid Testing at most Indian blood banks, and a testing window of up to 33 days during which an infection may not be detectable. These are real limitations, but petitioners argue they indict the system, not the donors. “There is already contaminated blood in the system,” Harish Iyer, another petitioner at the Supreme Court, says. “There are cases of people getting contaminated blood; sometimes it’s not even checked. That is not because of anything other than the fact that we have not yet got a proper testing system in place. And knowing how governments work when systems don’t function properly, they would rather let people be ignorant and carry on with the bias.” A public health expert with fifteen years in HIV intervention programmes, trans, queer, and asked not to be named, offered a systemic critique: “When we look at trans people, trans women, hijra women especially, we look at them from the lens that they do sex work, they have STIs, they spread HIV. That gaze still continues in our programmes; it is evident from NACO’s guidelines, which mandate the permanent deferment of trans people on the basis of high-risk behaviour. We pick up one identity