The Supreme Court of India ruled that the Justice Asha Menon Advisory Committee has no power to decide legal disputes on transgender recruitment. It granted relief to petitioners and said courts—not committees—must decide such rights-based issues.
The Orissa High Court directed the Odisha government to update the name and gender of a petitioner in a land mutation certificate after Sex Reassignment Surgery. The Court held that there is no legal impediment in recognising gender identity based on reassigned sex supported by medical and statutory documents.
Himachal Pradesh High Court granted bail to a man accused of deceiving a transgender person with false marriage promises. It ruled that Section 69 of the BNS applies only to women, not transgender individuals. The accused may still face charges under Section 18(d) of the Transgender Persons Act for abuse, and the case will be decided in the lower court.
The Centre informed today the Supreme Court that a ‘certificate of identity’ issued under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 will be accepted as valid documentation for applying for a PAN card. This is in response to a petition urging the addition of a third gender category to PAN cards, enabling accurate match with Aadhaar records.