No Need for a C for Certified

No one expected that in the middle of the US-Israel war on Iran and an LPG crisis in India, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026 would be fast-tracked through both Houses of Parliament in the last week of March, receive the President's assent within days and become an Act almost immediately.

By: Anupama Bijur

Published On: April 8th, 2026

No one expected that in the middle of the US-Israel war on Iran and an LPG crisis in India, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026 would be fast-tracked through both Houses of Parliament in the last week of March, receive the President’s assent within days and become an Act almost immediately.

Widespread protests broke out across the country against the new law, questioning the way it was rushed through without any public consultation. According to many people who identify as transgender persons, and their allies, the new Act takes away the right to self-determination of identity, replacing it with mandatory medical verification. The legislation also takes away the rights granted by the 2014 NALSA judgement and part of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019.

According to Srini Ramaswamy, entrepreneur and inclusion & well-being expert, “Reintroducing clinical gatekeeping doesn’t just dehumanise individuals; it creates systemic barriers to jobs and safety. We are legislating away dignity, further marginalising the trans community and pushing them back into the shadows.”

By asking for medical proof instead of accepting self-identification, this Act turns identity into something that must be officially certified rather than simply respected, say transpersons.

The + in the LGBTQIA acronym stands for other gender identities and sexual orientations. There’s no need for a C for Certified.

InkSights is a monthly art series by NWMI member Anupama Bijur viewing current affairs through a gender and news lens.