NEW DELHI: A public interest litigation has been moved in the Delhi High Court seeking direction to
authorities to construct separate washrooms for the third gender on the ground that absence of separate public toilets for transgenders make them prone to sexual assault and harassment.
A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notices and sought responses of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Delhi government, New Delhi Municipal Corporation, Municipal Corporations of East, South and North Delhi on the petition which submitted that absence of gender-neutral toilets goes against the directions of the Supreme Court.
The counsel for the authorities sought time to seek instructions and file their replies after which the court listed the matter for further hearing on September 13. The petition filed by final year law student Jasmine Kaur Chhabra said the central government has released funds but no separate toilets have been made for the transgender or third gender community in Delhi. It further said Mysore, Bhopal and Ludhiana have already built separate public washrooms for them but the national capital is still seen nowhere taking such an initiative.
“There are no separate toilet facilities for transgenders, they have to use male toilets where they are prone to sexual assault and harassment. Discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation or gender identity, therefore, impairs equality before law and equal protection of law and violates Article 14 of the Constitution,” said the petition.