NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Centre on a batch of petitions challenging the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026, citing that it takes away one’s right to self-perceived gender identity.
It sought the Centre’s response by July 22, the next date of hearing.
The 2026 law was introduced on the ground that the existing definition was “vague and broad”, which allegedly made it difficult to identify the genuinely oppressed persons for whom the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 was originally intended.
A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia was hearing petitions, which claimed that the law is “manifestly arbitrary and disproportionate”, and that it infringes Article 19(1)(a) (fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression) of the Constitution by restricting the expression of gender identity.
Petitioner Chandresh Jain said the Act “removes and dilutes self-perceived gender identity”.