In Supreme Court, govt flags concerns over gender self-identification

The Indian government told the Supreme Court that accepting gender self-identification under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026 could render 169 statutory provisions unworkable.

The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, will consider on August 17 whether to grant interim protection to transgender persons holding identity cards issued under the previous legal regime.

The amendment is being challenged by transgender activists and organizations, including petitioner Anuraj M, represented by senior advocate Anand Grover, who argued it dilutes the self-identification principle from the 2014 NALSA judgment.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, cautioned against unrestricted self-identification, while the court issued notice in the new petition and tagged it with pending challenges.