PIL for the welfare of transgender persons of the state of Jharkhand during the nationwide lockdown
Amarjeet Singh Vs. State of Jharkhand & others | The high Court Of Jharkhand at Ranchi | Status: Pending | |
Amarjeet Singh is a
respectable man in the society and has a genuine concern regarding the welfare
of Transgender person. He is a transgender activist and has been
continuously working for the welfare of the transgender communities. According to the 2011 Census more than 4,87,802 transgenders live
in India and in Jharkhand the total population is around 13,000. The transgender community has been an ignored community during the
COVID-19 Lockdown. They have not been provided with any social safety net and
welfare measures by the central government during the current Lockdown. The
livelihood of transgender people depends on interaction with the people and,
social distancing has cut off the transgender community from all. The most of the transgender people in State of Jharkhand are
dependent are dependent on begging. But the nationwide lockdown has left
transgender persons struggling to make ends meet. The
Transgender people face stigma and discrimination from their families and are
often outcasts banished from their families. Hence, due to the national
lockdown, the transgender community who rely on begging have no means for
livelihood and no homes for shelter.
The Government needs to come up with welfare measures to sustain
the lives of the transgender community in India. Transgenders are more prone to infections due to lower immunity
system in their bodies and hence they are at a greater risk of being infected
by COVID-19. As per National Center for Transgender Equality Report, “Trans
adults are also more likely to rate their health as a poor or fair in
comparison to others. More than 1 out of 5 transgender adults have at
least one or more chronic condition, such as diabetes, arthritis or asthma,”. Link:
https://transequality.org/covid19.
The Hon’ble Supreme Court in National Legal Services Authority v. Union
of India (UOI) and Ors. declares that Transgender as third gender and also
allows to enjoy human rights and also directed
Centre and State Governments should also take steps for framing various social
welfare schemes for their betterment. Therefore, Mr. Amarjeet have moved before the Hon’ble High Court of Jharkhand by way of Public Interest Litigation for welfare of the transgender persons of the state of Jharkhand during the nationwide lockdown because of Covid-19.