New Delhi [India]: The Supreme Court was informed on Tuesday that the state governments of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Rajasthan have established Transgender Welfare Boards.
This update follows the court’s notice issued in November last year, requesting responses from state governments on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the creation of Transgender Welfare Boards to address the social welfare issues faced by the transgender community.
A Bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti noted that the Union of India and several respondent state governments have yet to file their responses despite repeated adjournments. The court directed these states to comply within six weeks or face a penalty of ₹40,000, payable to their respective legal aid cells.
The PIL was filed in 2021 by the Kinner Maa Eksamajik Sanstha Trust, represented by advocates Narender Kumar Verma and Jaya Sukin. The petition called on the Centre and state governments to establish welfare boards to tackle the challenges faced by transgender persons, including discrimination, unemployment, homelessness, and inadequate access to education and healthcare.
The court scheduled the next hearing for six weeks from now to review compliance with its directions.