New Delhi, March 22 Opposition MPs and transgender rights activists on Sunday called for the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, to be withdrawn, saying the proposed changes could dilute their rights.
The call to withdraw the Bill was made at a public discussion held at the Press Club of India here, where participants raised concerns over its potential impact on transgender people.
Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar introduced the Bill in the Lok Sabha on March 13.
The Bill seeks to define the term "transgender" and provide graded punishments that reflect the severity of the harm inflicted upon such persons.
It also emphasizes that a transgender person "shall not include, nor shall ever have been so included, persons with different sexual orientations and self-perceived sexual identities."
The proposed amendment to the existing Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, has drawn criticism from members of the community, who say it deviates from the principles laid down by the Supreme Court in the landmark judgement of National Legal Services Authority vs Union of India.
NCP spokesperson Anish Gawande, speaking to