Skip to main content

Transgender Bill undermines self-identification rights: Civil liberties group

By A Representative 
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has strongly condemned the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, terming it “unconstitutional, regressive and exclusionary,” and demanded its immediate withdrawal. In a statement issued by its National General Secretary Dr. V. Suresh, the organisation said the proposed amendments would dilute key protections under the existing 2019 law and undermine the rights of transgender persons.
The statement follows the introduction of the Bill in Parliament on March 13 by Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar. PUCL criticised the government for not placing the Bill in the public domain for wider consultation, calling it a “shocking attempt to roll back hard-won rights” of the transgender community.
According to PUCL, the proposed amendments significantly narrow the definition of “transgender persons,” thereby excluding a large number of individuals, including trans men, trans women, genderqueer and non-binary persons, from legal protection. The organisation said the Bill removes the right to self-identification of gender, which had been recognised under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, and affirmed by the Supreme Court in the landmark NALSA v. Union of India ruling.
The PUCL argued that the Bill restricts recognition to limited categories such as traditional socio-cultural identities, intersex persons, and individuals allegedly forced into transgender identities, while explicitly excluding those with self-perceived gender identities. It described this as discriminatory and contrary to constitutional guarantees under Articles 14, 15 and 21.
The statement also raised concerns over new procedural requirements, including mandatory medical certification and discretionary powers vested in district authorities for granting identity recognition. PUCL said these provisions would create additional barriers and discourage transgender persons from accessing legal recognition and associated rights.
Further, the organisation objected to proposed amendments introducing new criminal provisions related to “kidnapping” and “inducement,” warning that these could be misused against support systems, activists and chosen families who assist transgender persons. It said the provisions reinforce stereotypes by portraying transgender identity as a result of coercion rather than personal choice, while imposing harsher penalties compared to those for abuse against transgender individuals.
The PUCL also highlighted gaps in legal protections against sexual violence, noting the absence of provisions addressing sexual assault of transgender persons under current criminal law frameworks.
Describing the Bill as part of a broader pattern of policies affecting vulnerable communities, PUCL alleged that the amendment reflects a wider “anti-rights” approach. The organisation urged the government to withdraw the Bill immediately and engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders.
PUCL President Kavita Srivastava and Dr. Suresh reiterated the organisation’s solidarity with the transgender community, stating that the proposed law would jeopardise existing rights and deepen social and legal exclusion if enacted.

Comments

Post a Comment

NOTE: Hateful, abusive comments won't be published. -- Editor

TRENDING

The “Dr” debate masks a larger crisis in allied-health education

By Dr P K Gupta*  India’s allied-health professions have long operated in a fragmented landscape of universities, hospitals, State authorities and private institutions, each with its own nomenclature, curriculum and standards. The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021 was meant to correct this by creating a unified national framework for education, professional regulation and institutional recognition. Few dispute the need for such oversight. The real question is whether standardisation is quietly becoming synonymous with longer courses, additional internships and new professional titles—changes that risk masking deeper gaps in clinical training, institutional capacity and affordability.
Post a Comment
»

Pilgrimage or pollution? The waste crisis of Indian faith

By Raj Kumar Sinha*  In today's times, there are certain issues that are constantly talked about and discussed, yet no visible impact seems to be made. Beyond water, soil, and pollution, one crisis that continues to be overlooked is waste. Like other life-threatening problems, waste too is gradually moving toward burying and obliterating us. After the Kanwar Yatra in Haridwar, approximately 8,000 tonnes of waste were left behind on the riverbanks, including bottles filled with urine. 
Post a Comment
»

Arrival of USS Lincoln: A ‘leisure trip’ to Thailand or a neo-colonial move to commodify women?

By Benyasiri Eimviriyapong   The arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) for a ‘leisure trip’ in Thailand before returning to its campaign of destruction against the people of West Asia demands immediate interrogation and opposition. For us Thai people, and those in sites of American plunder across the globe, this a rattling of the US’ cold war colonial chains on its most loyal lap dog, while conducting a war of aggression in Iran and the ongoing genocide in Palestine. In allowing the USS Lincoln to dock, the Thai ruling elites are once again facilitating a system of imperial violence that extends far beyond Southeast Asian borders, a system which in our case, is predicated on sexual violence and femicide.
2 comments
»