New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI) Members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) staged a protest at Jantar Mantar here on Monday against the proposed Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, demanding its immediate withdrawal.
According to the Delhi unit of the SFI, students and activists gathered at the protest site and raised slogans expressing solidarity with the transgender community. The protesters alleged that the proposed amendment is regressive and could undermine legal protections for gender-diverse persons.
An SFI delegation later submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, outlining its concerns regarding the Bill and placing several demands before the government.
In the memorandum, the students’ wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said the proposed amendment could weaken the principles laid down in the landmark NALSA (National Legal Services Authority) Vs Union of India (2014) judgment of the Supreme Court that affirmed the right to self-determination of gender identity as a fundamental right under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution.
The SFI activists alleged that the amendment seeks to shift the authority to determine gender identity to a government-appointed medical board, which they said would undermine the principle of self-identification recognised by the court and could subject transgender persons to intrusive medical scrutiny.
Some protesters also expressed concerns that the proposed amendment may narrow the legal definition of a “transgender person”, potentially excluding several gender-diverse identities from legal recognition.
Mehina (goes by first name), an SFI activist, expressed serious concerns over the Bill’s attempt to narrow down the legal definition of a “transgender person”, and said, “This could exclude the trans men, trans women outside certain socio-cultural communities, non-binary individuals, genderqueer persons and other gender-diverse people from legal recognition.” Among the demands placed before the ministry were the withdrawal of the Bill, retention of the definition of a “transgender person” as provided under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, protection of the principle of self-identification without mandatory medical certification and wider consultations with transgender communities, legal experts and civil-society organisations before any future amendments, the SFI activists said.
The organisation also called for greater focus on addressing issues faced by transgender persons, including access to education, healthcare, housing, employment and protection from violence and discrimination.
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill was introduced by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar on Friday.
The Bill notes that it is imperative to give a precise definition for proper and definitive identification and protection of transgender persons, to whom the benefits of the present law must reach. PTI AHD RC
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