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Trans community mounts challenge to amended law
Several petitions challenging the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026 have been filed across India, arguing the amendments undermine the 2014 NALSA verdict and raise concerns about medical certification and care. Kerala High Court granted an interim order to continue hormone replacement therapy on April 10, 2026, while petitions continue in Karnataka, Kerala, Delhi, and the Supreme Court.
Why It Matters
The filings test the balance between the amended law and landmark protections for transgender rights, including self-identification, access to gender-affirming care, and protections against discrimination.
Timeline
4 Events
Kerala High Court interim order on HRT continuation
April 10, 2026
The Kerala High Court issued an interim order directing that hormone replacement therapy for petitioners continue, in response to petitions alleging that the amended act disrupted access to gender-affirming care.
Mujawar and Maya file petitions in Karnataka High Court
April 9, 2026
Akira Mujawar and Maya, who had begun the process of updating their gender identity and faced job and documentation challenges, filed petitions in the Karnataka High Court to challenge the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026, joining a wider national effort to contest the law.
Kerala High Court petitions challenge amended act
April 5, 2026
Two writ petitions were filed in the Kerala High Court challenging the amended Transgender Persons Act. One petitioner included a transwoman named Neethu, who alleged that hospital-based hormone replacement therapy was stopped due to the new law. The petition argues that the expanded definition of transgender has changed, interrupting gender-affirming care; Neethu is represented by senior advocate Arundhati Katju.
Supreme Court petition against amended Transgender Persons Act
April 5, 2026
National Council for Transgender Persons chairperson Laxmi Narayan Tripathi and member Zainab Patel filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026, arguing that the court must protect a right intrinsic to dignity and personal autonomy under Article 21. The petitions contend that the amended act narrows the definition of transgender and introduces medical certification and data-sharing requirements that threaten self-identification.