Lok Sabha passes Transgender Persons Amendment Bill 2026
The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, with a voice vote, introducing changes to the existing 2019 legislation.
The Bill was introduced by Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar and seeks to revise the definition and regulatory framework concerning transgender persons.
According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons, the amendment aims to recognise and protect a specific category of transgender persons who face social exclusion due to biological conditions. The legislation seeks to establish a framework focused on individuals experiencing such vulnerabilities.
The revised definition includes socio-cultural identities such as kinner, hijra, aravani, jogta, and eunuch, as well as persons with intersex variations or congenital differences in primary or secondary sexual characteristics, chromosomal patterns, gonadal development, or hormonal response.
The Bill also includes provisions covering individuals who may have been coerced into a particular gender identity. However, it excludes persons who identify as transgender based on self-perception, as it omits a key provision of the 2019 Act that recognised self-identification.
Under the amended provisions, the issuance of a certificate of identity will be subject to scrutiny by the District Magistrate, based on recommendations from a designated authority and, if required, consultation with medical experts.
The Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 14, had drawn protests from members of the transgender community across the country.
Earlier in the day, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed concern over the Bill not being referred to a parliamentary standing committee. She said there was a need for wider consultation, noting that sections of the community feel their concerns have not been adequately addressed.
Following the passage of the Bill, the Lok Sabha was adjourned till 11 am on Wednesday.
-ANI
