CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has expressed dismay and anguish on the taking down of the National Council of Educational Research And Training (NCERT) manual on gender non-conforming and transgender children from its official website.
The report titled 'Inclusion of Transgender Children in School Education: Concerns and Roadmap' was taken down within hours of its publishing, owing to external pressure.
The report, which was meant as training material for educators at schools, was removed from the site after the NCPCR (National Commission for Protection of Child Rights) sent notice to the NCERT against the manual following complaints raised against the material from certain sections.
"This Court is unable to understand the need for such a knee-jerk reaction within hours of the material getting uploaded on the website. If someone really had a grievance, the same should have been addressed in a proper manner through proper consultation and meetings, and no one can be allowed to arm-twist a State-run council into forcibly withdrawing a material that came out after a long study by a committee," the court expressed its reservations about the incident in a clear language, reported the Live Law.
Justice N Anand Venkatesh, on addressing the needs of transgender children and those with binary identities, noted that sensitization has to start from schools and home, and without family support, children belonging to the community would never be able to get support elsewhere.
The court reasoned that the report of an expert body cannot be disregarded due to opposition from a few quarters that still hesitate to recognize the LGBTQIA+ Community.
The judge directed the NCERT to submit its report on the issue before the court on December 23.
According to The Hindu, the court recorded its appreciation for the Tamil Nadu government for having decided to amend the Tamil Nadu Police Subordinate Service Rules and provide for disciplinary action against police personnel who harass people belonging to the LGBTQIA + community and those who work for the welfare of the community