Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Dec 11: High Court has directed the Government of Ladakh to inform the court about the committee constituted to identify the actual number of transgenders and the medical facilities available for them along with any scheme for their benefits formulated or not.
The direction has been passed by the Division Bench of Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice M A Chowdhary after the Ladakh UT counsel T M Shamsi apprised the court that a committee has been constituted to identify the actual numbers of third gender community in district Leh and Kargil in order to redress their grievances. Advocate Shamsi also informed the court that all the medical care and other facilities are available for this community in the hospitals but there is no scheme for pension or other monetary assistance provided to the transgender community in the UT.
“We direct T. M.Shamsi, DSGI, to file fresh compliance report disclosing action taken by the Committee being constituted to identify the number of transgenders and also disclose the name of the hospitals where the medical care facilities are being available to the transgender individuals and also file a detailed report with regard to framing of schemes for grant of pensionary benefits to this community as well on or before next date”, the bench directed.
The authorities of the UTs of J&K and Ladakh as per the court directions had to undertake further exercise to determine the number of transgenders in the respective territories and the Administration of both the UT’s had to issue advertisements by widely publishing in electronic as well as in print media seeking information about the transgenders which will not only help in determining the number of transgenders who are in the Union Territory, and, but wherever necessary, they can be provided assistances by the concerned District Legal Service Authorities.
The J&K State Legal Service Authority and Ladakh State Legal Service Authority as per the court directions were supposed to provide necessary assistance to any person who may claim to be a transgenders and their particulars are also recorded by the Administrations.
The UT of J&K has already filed the response in which it has been mentioned that there are 550 transgenders out of which 450 are in Kashmir Division and 100 in Jammu Division. However, this figure was contended by the counsel for the petitioner that thousands of transgenders have remained uncounted in both the J&K and Ladakh and as such it has been impressed by the court upon that the proper ascertainment of the total number of transgenders living in these UT’s would be necessary.
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