Published Apr 15, 2026 | 7:14 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 15, 2026 | 7:14 PM
The 2026 Amendment Act replaces self-perceived gender identity with a system of medical certification and administrative verification.
Synopsis: Over 200 activists have written to A Revanth Reddy, asking the state to pass a resolution against the Centre’s Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026, and to hold back its implementation. They said the law replaces self-identified gender with medical certification, reversing a right recognised by the Supreme Court of India, and warned of loss of legal recognition, welfare access and protections.
Over 200 transgender rights and social activists from across India have written to A Revanth Reddy, demanding that the Telangana legislature pass a resolution against the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026. They called the legislation a threat to the constitutional rights of lakhs of transgender and gender-diverse persons.
The letter, sent on Wednesday, 15 April, marks two dates activists consider significant: Ambedkar Jayanti on 14 April and the anniversary of the NALSA judgment on 15 April 2014, which recognised the right to self-perceived gender identity as a fundamental right under Article 21.
The signatories urged the Telangana government to hold back from operationalising the 2026 Amendment Act and to continue implementing the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, along with the directions in the NALSA judgment.
Earlier this week, the activists had conveyed their concerns in person to Meenakshi Natarajan, the All India Congress Committee Telangana in-charge. She told them she would take up the matter with the chief minister.
They also called on the chief minister to instruct officials to process all 811 pending applications for transgender identity cards in the state. Of the 2,824 applicants who applied for certificates and ID cards in Telangana, 2,013 have received cards, leaving over 800 cases unresolved.
The 2026 Amendment Act replaces self-perceived gender identity with a system of medical certification and administrative verification. Activists say this reverses a right the Supreme Court of India declared fundamental over a decade ago.
“The 2026 Amendment Act poses a threat to the rights and protection of transgender persons, including loss of legal recognition, exclusion from welfare entitlements, denial of healthcare, loss of employment and livelihoods, and withdrawal of protections under criminal law,” the letter states.
The signatories also raised concerns about what they said is a lack of consultation. They pointed out that the Union government passed the amendment within two weeks without seeking input from state governments, even though the changes cover entries on the state and concurrent legislative lists.
“The state governments were not consulted, violating the principles of federalism and co-operative governance,” the letter said.
Activists said the Amendment Act contains retrospective references that create uncertainty over the fate of 32,000 transgender certificates issued under the 2019 Act. They also noted that the constitutionality of the law is under challenge before the Supreme Court of India and multiple High Courts, including in Delhi, Karnataka and Kerala.
The letter says Telangana must not implement the Amendment Act until courts resolve these constitutional questions.
The signatories include all members of the Transgender Welfare Board constituted by the previous state government in 2022, including Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli, Rachana Mudraboyina and Meera Sanghamitra. Lawyers, academics, feminist activists, and environmental and farmers’ rights campaigners also added their names.
