Delhi High Court Serves notice to Union Ministries on sex change issue

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Court serves notice to Union Ministries on sex change issue

Staff Reporter

Follows PIL by social activist Rahul Sharma. Cases of two women, who faced

punishment, cited

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Union Home and Health

and Child Welfare Ministries and the Delhi Government on public interest

litigation seeking guidelines for treating those who undergo natural sex change

midway through their lives as a separate category with all the benefits that are

available to other members of society.

A Division Bench of the Court comprising Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice Veena

Birbal directed them to file their replies by May 5 next year. The petitioner,

social activist Rahul Verma, cited in his petition two instances in which two

women were found to have undergone gender change and were punished for no fault

of theirs.

He submitted that in the first instance, the Central Industrial Security Force

had dismissed a woman employee during her training period when she was found to

have undergone gender transformation. She had been recruited under the women’s

category. In the second instance, Tamil Nadu-based athlete Santhi Soundarajan,

who had won the silver medal at the Doha Asian Games last year in the 800 metres

race, was divested of the medal when she was found to have developed male

features, the petitioner submitted.

The Railways had also refused to give employment to her as she failed the gender

test, the petition said. The petitioner submitted that such persons should not

be discriminated against as they underwent gender change due to forces beyond

their control. He said the Government should also provide free medical treatment

to such persons.

http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/21/stories/2007122153850400.htm

Agniva Lahiri

Executive Coordinator

People Like Us (PLUS) Kolkata

254, Bonomali Banerjee Road

Kolkata - 700082. India

Phone: +91.9830510527

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