The Lok Sabha passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill 2026 on Tuesday after a three-hour long discussion with social justice minister Virendra Kumar stating that the protection of transgender persons was an “absolute need” and displayed the “moral power” of the Republic, even as the opposition called the bill “unconstitutional” and questioned the government’s urgency in drafting amendments to an existing law without consulting the affected community.. Lok Sabha passes Transgender Persons Amendment Bill 2026. “In 2019, a bill to protect transgender persons was introduced in this very House. Now, we have presented another one which is sensitive, and amends a few sections only to protect those people, who on account of their biological condition, face serious social exclusion. Apart from granting rights, this law will also provide dignity and empathy so that transgender people live with equality,” Kumar said.. “Bringing a community to the mainstream is easier said than done. I want to assure the House that the community will continue to be treated equally according to the law and their rights will stay protected. This bill will strengthen transgender people and restore pride and prestige to the community,” he said.. The bill, expected to be discussed in the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing budget session, contains amendments to the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. It redefines the category of transgender, removes the provision of self-perceived gender identity and excludes several socio-cultural identities as well as transmasculine individuals from its ambit. Furthermore, it defines transgender persons within a biological framework, based on intersex variations and differences in sexual development. The bill allows greater administrative oversight and reporting by medical institutions after gender reassignment surgery, and makes provisions for a medical board on whose recommendation a district magistrate can issue identity certificates. It also expands the offenses against transpersons to include forced mutilation, kidnapping, coercion, and exploitation, and provides stricter punishments ranging from five years to life imprisonment. However, the penalty for committing sexual crimes against transpersons remains unchanged, attracting a maximum of two years.. Speaking in favour of the bill, Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi of the Bharatiya Janata Party said that the biological basis of defining the transgender category was a “scientific approach” that would protect transpersons from “infiltrators” and “fakes” who “can take away their rights”.. Four other members of the parliament, including Kumar, spoke in favour of the bill. Telugu Desam Party MP Dr Byreddy Shabari said that several transpersons had approached her stating that people pretending to be transgender were availing benefits in her home state of Andhra Pradesh.. Eleven members of the opposition parties, i
