Govt given month’s time to decide on transgender as 3rd gender for bus travel

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has granted one month’s time to the city government authorities to decide a representation to legally recognise transgender community as the third gender in bus tickets issued by the DTC.

In case of non-compliance, the managing director of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) shall remain present before it on August 18, the court ordered.

The court’s order came on a contempt petition filed for “wilful non-compliance” of an October 2022 order of a division bench, which had granted four months to the authorities to take a view on the representation.

The order of the division bench had come on a public interest litigation by a person belonging to the transgender community, who sought legal recognition of the community as the third gender in bus tickets and provide free travel for them in DTC

buses.

Women travelling in DTC buses are issued pink tickets that allow them to travel for free.

Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora observed that the inaction for more than six months was “certainly protracted” but granted “one last opportunity” to the state authorities to comply with the earlier directions.

“The direction issued by the division bench through GNCTD is limited to taking a decision on the representation of the petitioner and therefore, the respondent’s inaction and non-consideration of the said representation for more than six months is certainly protracted,” the court said in a recent order.

“At request of the learned counsel for the respondents, by way of a last opportunity, the matter is adjourned and the respondents are directed to comply with the orders of the division bench within a period of one month, failing which the managing director of respondent No. 2 (Delhi Transport Corporation) shall remain present in court on the next date of hearing. List on 18.08.2023,” the court

ordered.

The counsel for petitioner argued that the indecision of Delhi government was causing grave prejudice to the petitioner who suffered during his bus travel and thus prayed for an expeditious decision on the representation.

The court issued notice to the Delhi government on the contempt petition by the petitioner.