New Delhi: The Delhi government has informed the High Court here that 14 toilets have been constructed in the national capital for the exclusive use of transgender persons.
The Delhi government's social welfare department, in a status report, told a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan Singh and Justice Manmeet PS Arora that 223 toilets are under construction and work on 30 others is yet to begin.
The government also said there are 1,584 toilets for persons with disabilities that are designated for the use of transgender persons.
The Delhi High Court took on record the government's January status report and closed proceedings in a PIL filed by Jasmine Kaur Chhabra, seeking directions to construct separate toilets for the third gender on the grounds that That their absence makes the transgender population vulnerable to sexual harassment. ,
“While binding the respondents with the statements and undertaking given in the status report and action taken report, the present writ petition is closed,” the bench said.,
During the hearing, advocate Rupinder Pal Singh, representing petitioner Kaur, said that he had no objection to closing the PIL.
He said that the Delhi government is bound by the promises and statements made in the status report and action taken report.
The social welfare department counsel had earlier said that a total of 102 such toilets had been built and 194 more were under construction.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which functions under the Union Home Ministry, had informed the court that 12 toilets for transgender persons were operational under its jurisdiction and tenders were awarded for the construction of 79 more toilets. Were.
The area under NDMC is commonly called Lutyens' Delhi.The PIL said that since the transgender community constitutes 7-8 per cent of the total population of the country, the authorities must provide toilets for them and ensure that they are treated equally.
The petition said that Mysuru, Bhopal and Ludhiana have already initiated action and created separate public toilets for themselves, but the national capital is still not seen taking such initiative.
“There are no separate toilet facilities for transgenders, they have to use substandard toilets where they are at risk of sexual assault and harassment. The plea said discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity undermines equality before law and equal protection of the laws and violates Article 14 of the Constitution.
The petition states that people including men, women and transgenders feel uncomfortable and hesitate when the third gender uses toilets that are meant for others, adding that it infringes on the third gender's 'privacy'. Also violates 'rights'.In 2022, the Delhi government had informed the High Court that 505 toilets for persons with disabilities have been designated for the use of transgenders and the work of creating separate toilets for them would be done expeditiously.
The high court had earlier told the government that wherever new public places are being developed, there should be separate toilets for transgenders.
The Delhi government's social welfare department, in a status report, told a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan Singh and Justice Manmeet PS Arora that 223 toilets are under construction and work on 30 others is yet to begin.
The government also said there are 1,584 toilets for persons with disabilities that are designated for the use of transgender persons.
The Delhi High Court took on record the government's January status report and closed proceedings in a PIL filed by Jasmine Kaur Chhabra, seeking directions to construct separate toilets for the third gender on the grounds that That their absence makes the transgender population vulnerable to sexual harassment. ,
“While binding the respondents with the statements and undertaking given in the status report and action taken report, the present writ petition is closed,” the bench said.,
During the hearing, advocate Rupinder Pal Singh, representing petitioner Kaur, said that he had no objection to closing the PIL.
He said that the Delhi government is bound by the promises and statements made in the status report and action taken report.
The social welfare department counsel had earlier said that a total of 102 such toilets had been built and 194 more were under construction.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which functions under the Union Home Ministry, had informed the court that 12 toilets for transgender persons were operational under its jurisdiction and tenders were awarded for the construction of 79 more toilets. Were.
The area under NDMC is commonly called Lutyens' Delhi.The PIL said that since the transgender community constitutes 7-8 per cent of the total population of the country, the authorities must provide toilets for them and ensure that they are treated equally.
The petition said that Mysuru, Bhopal and Ludhiana have already initiated action and created separate public toilets for themselves, but the national capital is still not seen taking such initiative.
“There are no separate toilet facilities for transgenders, they have to use substandard toilets where they are at risk of sexual assault and harassment. The plea said discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity undermines equality before law and equal protection of the laws and violates Article 14 of the Constitution.
The petition states that people including men, women and transgenders feel uncomfortable and hesitate when the third gender uses toilets that are meant for others, adding that it infringes on the third gender's 'privacy'. Also violates 'rights'.In 2022, the Delhi government had informed the High Court that 505 toilets for persons with disabilities have been designated for the use of transgenders and the work of creating separate toilets for them would be done expeditiously.
The high court had earlier told the government that wherever new public places are being developed, there should be separate toilets for transgenders.
