Queer collectives, gender sensitisation groups, student unions, Opposition parties and even members of government panels have spoken out against the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, which the critics claim excludes several “vulnerable” sections from its scope. Southern region representative of the Centre’s National Council for Transgender Persons (NCTP), Kalki Subramaniam, has threatened to quit if the bill is not reconsidered. ADVERTISEMENTIn a letter to Union social justice and empowerment minister Virendra Kumar, Subramaniam explained: “It excludes trans men, intersex persons, gender queer and non-binary individuals from the scope of protection, leaving many vulnerable people outside the law. “However, the new amendment replaces this with a system where the district magistrate can issue identity certificates only after recommendations from a medical board, effectively subjecting transgender persons to bureaucratic and medical scrutiny,” it said in a statement. The CPM had demanded the withdrawal of the bill soon after its introduction on March 13.

Source: The Telegraph March 21, 2026 11:26 UTC