Top Court flags discrimination faced by transgenders in country

DIRECTS CENTRE TO FORM EQUAL OPPORTUNITY POLICY

- OUR CORRESPOMDENT

In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court on Friday expressed concern over the discrimination faced by transgenders despite the enactment of a law in 2019, and directed the Centre to come out with an “equal opportunity policy” within three months of a report submitted by an advisory panel.

‘A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act of 2019 and its corresponding rules have been “brutishly reduced to dead letters’, and the Centre and the states have exhibited a “grossly apathetic” attitude towards them.

“The community continues to face discrimination and marginalisation, with a scarcity of healthcare, economic opportunities and noninclusive educational policies adding to their struggles.” the bench said.

Expressing dismay over the discrimination, the bench said that despite more than 10 years of this court's judgment in the NALSA case in 2014 that prompted Parliament to bring in place a statute in 2019, the transgender community has to preponderantly resort to the writ jurisdiction of high courts and this court to redress their grievances.