Our Correspondent
IMPHAL, February 7
In an effort to bring an undifferentiated consciousness on the legal endorsement and rights among the transgender community in the state, the All Manipur Nupi Manbi Association (AMANA) organised day long legal awareness program on the 'Supreme Court- NALSA(National Legal Services Authority) Judgement on Transgender Rights' on Saturday at Khurai Lainignthou Ahanba Mandop, Imphal.
Around 30 transgender community members clad in women traditional attires joined the programme which was supported by District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) in collaboration with SAATHI (Solidarity and Action against the HIV Infection in India). The main session of the programme was facilitated by chief judicial magistrate of Imphal east, Noutumneshwori and Advocate Sevananda of Human Rights Law Network Manipur.Senior programme Manager of SATHHI, Lairikyanbam Randhoni said that majority of transgender community have been encountering various forms of physical and mental harassment and they are often discriminated and stigmatised by society in which many of the cases are unreported.
Randhoni said such unwarranted incident leads to identity crisis and forced many transgender (TG) to drop-out from their respective educational institutions. She also maintained that such awareness programme will help in developing the capacity to deal various issues in their day to day activities.
According to Supreme Court (SC) of India’s recommendation, the transgender persons' have the right to decide their self-identified gender and it has also directed to both the centre and state to grant legal recognition of their gender identity as male, female, or as a third gender.Enunciating further SATHHI functionary maintained that however it should be done with a legal process.
Narrating a litigation between NALSA vs Union of India referring to the landmark SC recommendation, she informed that SC had also directed the Centre and the State Governments to take necessary steps to treat transgender as socially and educationally backward class and to extend all kinds of reservation in cases of admission in educational institutions and jobs.
The court has directed the state and centre to grant legal recognition; for third gender; for personal transitioning within male/binary with the use of "psychological test" as oppose to "biological" test and various other right like Socio-economic rights,etc but so far the state is yet to have a transgender welfare board and state transgender policy.
