Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026
The bill aims to clarify the legal definition of transgender persons and propose graded punishments for serious crimes against them.
Key Provisions of the Bill
- Definition Clarification
- The bill specifies that individuals with different sexual orientations or self-perceived sexual identities are not included in the definition of transgender persons.
- Transgender persons are defined to include socio-cultural identities such as kinner, hijra, aravani, and jogta, as well as eunuchs, persons with intersex variations, or individuals with congenital differences in sex characteristics.
- Purpose
- To ensure proper identification of transgender persons.
- To ensure that benefits under the law reach the intended group.
- Amendments to Existing Law
- The existing Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 is noted to prohibit discrimination and abuse.
- Currently, the maximum punishment for offences is two years’ imprisonment, which is deemed inadequate for offences of exceptional gravity.
- Graded Punishments
- Proposed for specific offences such as abduction, mutilation, emasculation, castration, hormone or chemical alteration, and forced assumption of a transgender identity.
- Particularly emphasized when children are victims.
Introduction
The bill was introduced by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister, in the Lok Sabha.
