Assam has joined Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in establishing Transgender Welfare Boards, the Supreme Court was informed on Tuesday. This move aims to address pressing social welfare concerns within the transgender community.
The development follows a Supreme Court notice issued in November 2024, seeking responses from state governments on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Kinner Maa Eksamajik Sanstha Trust. The PIL, submitted in 2021, called for the creation of welfare boards to tackle discrimination, unemployment, homelessness, and lack of access to education and healthcare faced by transgender individuals.
A Bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti noted that despite multiple adjournments, the Union government and several states have yet to comply with the court’s directive. The Bench ordered these states to submit their responses within six weeks, warning that failure to comply would result in a penalty of ₹40,000 payable to their respective legal aid cells.The next hearing is scheduled for six weeks from now.