- A single judge bench of Justice N. Anand Venkatesh has directed the Union Government to extend the ambit of ‘Garima Greh’ Scheme to include all the members of the LGBTQIA+ community and not just transgenders alone.
- The Court has made this direction considering the fact that the transgender community forms only a small part of the LGBTQIA+ community and thus it would be unfair to give the benefit of the scheme to only that community and not the whole. The Court further said that only after doing the above would the scheme be considered a wholesome and all encompassing, non- discriminative scheme benefiting the marginalized sections of the society.
- The Court also stated that the people belonging to these marginalized communities have no support from their families or the society, in such a situation the government’s schemes are their last ray of hope.
- The Court also directed the Government that it should publish a glossary of words and expressions used for addressing the members of the LGBTQIA+ community, as these words, when used in regular practice, “would pave way for a dignified identity of the members belonging to that community”.
- The Public Prosecutor appearing for the State also informed the court that amendments to the Tamil Nadu Subordinate Police Officer’s Conduct Rules, 1964 will also be made at the earliest. This was done in response to the Courts directions in a plea for protection filed by a lesbian couple facing police harrasment, and also in furtherance of the guidelines issued by the HC in June of this year to ensure the protection of the members of the LGBTQIA+ community in consenting relationships.
- The Court also expressed it’s dismay that the training module titled “Inclusion of Transgender Children in School Education: Concerns and Roadmap” was taken down from the NCERT website. To this, the Deputy Secretary of NCERT has submitted that it was only a draft training material and was not yet approved. The same will be uploaded in the beginning of the next academic year, the Court was assured.
- Further, the National Medical Commission has submitted that it has set up a committee to address the concerns expressed by the court about the terminology used in the Competency- Based Undergraduate Curriculum. The Court said that these small steps will instill faith in the members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
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