NEW DELHI: The Delhi HC on Wednesday asked the Centre and Delhi Police to take appropriate steps for the formulation of an SOP on the arrest and detention of transgender persons. The court also asked the respondents to consider an advisory by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in this regard.
A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued the notice to the Centre, police and the Delhi government on a PIL by a law student that sought an NHRC advisory. The plea said while the Delhi Police has a standing order for the arrest of women and senior citizens, it is “silent” on trans persons.
The “harm” due to the “vacuum” can be seen when the police in May 2025 arrested three transgender persons, the plea said. It alleged that despite one of them possessing female genital anatomy, all were searched by a male police officer.