Opposition MPs, activists seek rollback of transgender bill
Opposition MPs and transgender rights activists on Sunday called for the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, to be withdrawn, saying the proposed changes could dilute their rights.
The call to rollback the Bill was made at a Jan Sunwai (public discussion) held at the Press Club of India here, where participants raised concerns over its potential impact on transgender people.
Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar introduced the Bill in the Lok Sabha on March 13.
The Bill seeks to give a precise definition of the term "transgender" and provide graded punishments that reflect the gravity of the harm inflicted upon such persons.
It also underlines that a transgender person "shall not include, nor shall ever have been so included, persons with different sexual orientations and self-perceived sexual identities".
The proposed amendment to the existing Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, has triggered criticism from members of the community who say it departs from principles laid down by the Supreme Court in the landmark judgement of National Legal Services Authority vs Union of India.
