Rajya Sabha Passes Private Bill On Transgenders

 

NEW DELHI, India, 24 April, 2015 - In a rare legislative action, a private member's Bill seeking to protect the rights of transgenders was passed unanimously by voice vote in Rajya Sabha on 24 April (Friday).

 The Bill was passed with the full strength of the treasury benches though several opposition members were not present at the time. The Bill was passed by voice vote in the presence of 19 Union Ministers including eight Cabinet Ministers. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also present.

Tiruchi Siva of DMK was passed after discussion in which the House expressed support to the cause. The Bill is aimed at providing for the "formulation and implementation of a comprehensive national policy for ensuring overall development of the transgender persons". "It is after 45 years that a Private Members' Bill has been passed. It envisages that a national commission with statutory powers on the lines of the National Commission for SCs, STs and women should be established for transgenders. 

Siva later shook hands with the senior members in the House thanking them for supporting him in the bill's passage.

 The last time a Private Members' Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha was in 1970. The Bill also states that there should be reservations for transgenders in educational institutions from primary level up. However, this Bill would not become a law as — unlike a government Bill — a Private Members' Bill does not go to the other House after passage. It will become law only if the government moves a Bill on the issue. Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman lamented that there are certain impractical aspects due to which it cannot be moved as a government Bill.

"Government is sensitive to the rights of transgenders and what was seen in the Rajya Sabha was a sense of the House that it supports the cause. But there are some impractical aspects in the Bill due to which it cannot be implemented in letter and spirit," she said.

While Congress members, despite their poor attendance prompted Siva to go ahead for seeking passage of the bill, at least three Ministers and the Chair requested Siva to take the government's assurance and not insist for voting, going against the tradition of the House.

Moving the bill for passage, Siva said 29 nations and leading democracies in the world including US, UK, Canada, France, Australia, Italy and Singapore had legislations protecting rights of transgenders.

India’s Supreme Court recognised transgender people as a third gender in April 2014.