Transgender Bill passed by voice vote in Lok Sabha amid walkout by Opposition MPs
The Hindu
The Lok Sabha passes a contentious Transgender Bill, sparking praise from the government and criticism from opposition parties.
Amidst an Opposition-led walkout, the Lok Sabha on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) passed by voice vote the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, which proposes to remove transgender people’s right to self-determination of gender, and introduces a clause for examination by a medical board to determine their gender.
The MPs who walked out of the House were from parties such as the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, DMK, Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party, and the CPI(M). Congress whip Manickam Tagore said they walked out as they were “not satisfied with the reply” of the Minister on the Bill.
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Transgender rights groups, civil society leaders, and several prominent members of the community condemned the passing of the Bill as an “injustice”.
Union Minister for Social Justice Virendra Kumar said the Bill seeks to stop adults and children from being “forced or compelled” to become or present as transgenders through hormone therapy or other interventions, and further strengthens punishments for crimes against transgender people. He called the proposed amendments a step further in the Modi-led government’s efforts to empower the transgender community.
The MPs from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) insisted that the Bill was for the “betterment” of the community. They claimed that retaining the principle of self-determination of gender would lead to people “falsely” claiming reservation and other such benefits, wherever and if they are introduced. “We want transgender people to live with equality; they should also get the same rights which the rest of the people get. I want to assure the House that transgenders will continue to get legal recognition. And their rights will be fully protected. This Act is an expression of our collective conscience,” the Minister said.
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