ITANAGAR, 23 Mar: The North East Human Rights (NEHR) strongly opposed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, introduced in the Lok Sabha on 13 March, and demanded its immediate withdrawal, terming it discriminatory.
In a letter to the union social justice and empowerment minister, NEHR chairperson Ebo Mili stated that the bill represents a blatant assault on the fundamental rights and dignity of transgender and queer persons across India, particularly the Northeast region, where marginalised communities already face multiple layers of discrimination.
Mili stated that the bill violates the Supreme Court’s NALSA judgement of 2014.
“The bill completely deletes the right to self-identification of gender that was explicitly recognised as a fundamental right under Articles 14, 15, 19 and 21 in the historic NALSA judgement. By removing Section 4(2) of the 2019 Act, the government is directly undermining the apex court’s directive,” the letter read.
Mili also stated in his letter that the new narrow definition limits recognition only to traditional socio-cultural identities ‘kinner, hijra, aravani, jogta, eunuch’ and certain intersex variations, while explicitly excluding “persons with different sexual orientations and self-perceived sexual identities.” This leaves out trans men, non-binary persons, genderqueer individuals, and most modern trans women – effectively erasing them from legal protection and welfare schemes, he said.
The letter also stated that the bill mandates a medical board for every certificate, reversing the self-declaration process introduced in 2019. “This will subject transgender persons to invasive medical examinations, bureaucratic harassment and huge expenses – a practice the community has fought hard to abolish,” Mili said.
He alleged that the bill was introduced without any consultation with transgender persons, queer collectives, or civil society organisations, violating the spirit of participatory democracy and the very principles of the 2019 Act.
Describing it a rollback of “hard-won rights,” Mili said that the amendments would result in loss of legal recognition, identity documents, education and employment reservations, healthcare access, and welfare benefits for thousands of transgender citizens. Instead of protecting the community, the bill institutionalises exclusion and stigma, he said.
The NEHR chairperson urged the government to restore the original 2019 Act in its true spirit and hold meaningful consultations with transgender and queer representatives before making any legislative changes.
Mili urged the central government to uphold constitutional values and the Supreme Court’s directions “instead of taking the country backwards by a decade.”
“Any failure to withdraw this bill will be seen as a deliberate attack on the rights of one of the most vulnerable sections of Indian society,” he wrote.
