 "Big leap forward: SC asks govt to give transgenders equal rights to education, healthcare")
The Supreme Court today recognised transgender persons as a third sex in the country and said the community was as backward as socially and economically backward classes.
Hearing a petition filed by the National Legal Services Authority, the apex court today directed the central and state governments to provide healthcare and education to members of the community on account of their backwardness.
A bench of Justices KS Radhakrishnan and AK Sikri had reserved its judgement on the petition which had sought that members of the community get equal rights.
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NGO Lawyers Collective had appeared on behalf of transgender rights activist and former Bigg Boss contestant, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, and argued that a person may identify in a gender that doesn’t correspond with the sex assigned at birth.
Senior lawyer and head of Lawyers Collective, Anand Grover argued before the court that everyone has a right to be recognised in their chosen gender, said the NGO.
Grover also argued that gender identity shouldn’t be dependent on medical requirements and members of the community should also have access to free and quality health services.
The lawyer cited Articles 14 and 15 (equality and non-discrimination), 19 (fundamental freedoms) and 21 (right to life) of the Constitution to argue that transgenders were entitled to all identity documents issued by the state and central governments including a birth certificate, passport, voter identification card and driving license.
The central government, through the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, reportedly submitted that they were in principle in support of the petition and had also set up an expert committee to look into issues concerning transgenders.
The court order is being widely welcomed. Here are a few tweets in reaction to the news: