The "Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014", moved by Tiruchi Siva (DMK) was passed after leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said it would not be proper if the House is divided on this issue as all feel in favour of the rights of transgenders.
The Bill was passed with the full strength of the treasury benches, though several opposition members were not present at the time. The Bill was passed by voice vote in the presence of 19 Union Ministers, including eight Cabinet Ministers. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also present. Siva later shook hands with the senior members in the House, thanking them for supporting him in the bill's passage.
Jaitley spoke after Siva insisted on division, rejecting the assurance given by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot that government will come out with a comprehensive bill in this regard. Gehlot said many issues were yet to be resolved among various Ministries on the issue and clarification has been sought from the Supreme Court on some other issues. Siva, however, did not yield and insisted on voting, saying the issue was important and needed to be taken up urgently to protect the rights of transgenders.
While Congress members, despite their poor attendance, prompted Siva to go ahead for seeking passage of the bill, at least three Ministers and the Chair requested Siva to take the government's assurance and not insist for voting, going against the tradition of the House.
Moving the bill for passage, Siva said 29 nations and leading democracies in the world including US, UK, Canada, France, Australia, Italy and Singapore had legislations protecting rights of transgenders. With the passage of the bill, Rajya Sabha created history on Friday as the last private member's bill was passed in 1970.
The last such Bill passed by Parliament was The Supreme Court (Enlargement of Criminal Appellate Jurisdiction) Bill, 1968 that became an Act on August 9, 1970.
"We enjoy human rights without discrimination. Without protection of human rights, there can be no democracy or justification of democracy. We cannot afford to be intolerant. Violence based on gender identity still continues. There are 4.5 lakh transgenders in the country, but reports say there are 20 to 25 lakh such people without having any recognition. They are discriminated against," Siva said.
Urging members to vote in favour of the bill, he said the entire country was watching Rajya Sabha on Friday in the hope that something big is happening for them here.
Pvt bill on making marital rape a crime tabled in RS
A private member bill to amend the existing laws to treat marital rape as a crime was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. Moving the bill, Congress leader Avinash Pande quoted a report as saying that one in five men have forced their wives for sex, while another one says that marital rape cases were to the tune of 9-15 per cent in the country. "It is a very sensitive issue. Growing sexual violence needs more attention. ...The bill proposes to criminalise the act of forced sex in marriage as marital rape," he said, adding that the culprits should be punished under the law. Before taking up the bill, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Muktar Abbas Naqvi said the bill be taken up next time as Home Minister Rajnath Singh was in Bihar to ascertain the impact of a recent storm in the state.
Participating in the debate, two Congress leaders Ananda Bhaskar Rapolu and Husain Dalwai favoured the bill, but BJP member Dilipbhai Pandya it saying that the existing law had all provisions to address such a crime. "There is a provision in the bill that says if a man commits sexual intercourse or act with his own wife under 15 years is not rape. This provision needs to be deleted. I don't find any substance in this bill. Some provisions need to be amended. I oppose the bill. I request the member to withdraw the bill," he said.