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Download PDF version of this Guide What laws are discussed in this Guide? This Guide discusses the general provisions in the Constitution of India, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020. Why was the law enacted? Transgender Persons are not treated as an equal partRead more

ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧ ನವತೇಜ್ ಸಿಂಗ್ ಜೋಹರ್ ಪ್ರಕರಣವು ಸೆಕ್ಷನ್ 377 ಅನ್ನು ‘ರೀಡ್ ಡೌನ್’ ಮಾಡಿ ಸಲಿಂಗಕಾಮವನ್ನು ನಿರಪರಾಧೀಕರಿಸಿತು. ಆದರೆ ಈಗ LGBT+ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಗಳ ಹಕ್ಕುಗಳು ಏನೆಂದು ನಮಗೆ ತಿಳಿದಿದೆಯೇ? ಪ್ರೀತಿಯನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಬಂಧಿಸುವ ಕಾನೂನುಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ನವತೇಜ್ ನಂತರ ಕಾನೂನಿನ ಅಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ LGBT+ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಲಭ್ಯವಿರುವ ಮಾರ್ಗಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು ಅರವಿಂದ್ ನಾರಾಯಣ್ ಅವರೊಂದಿಗಿನ ಈ ಸಂದರ್ಶನವನ್ನು ವೀಕ್ಷಿಸಿ ಈ ವೀಡಿಯೊವನ್ನು ಧ್ವನಿ ಲೀಗಲ್ ಟ್ರಸ್ಟ್ ಸಹಯೋಗದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಮಾಡಲಾಗಿದೆ Have any questions or thoughts about theRead more

Trigger Warning: The following content contains information on physical violence and sexual violence which some readers may find disturbing. Rape is the crime that occurs when a man has sexual intercourse with a woman against her will or without her consent.  A man commits rape on an unconsenting woman if he1:  penetrates his penis orRead more

To change your name, make an addition or delete a part of your name, you will have to follow the steps given below and make sure that it is published either in the State or Central Gazette. You can choose to publish it in the Central Gazette if you want to apply for any higherRead more

Gender identity refers to an individual’s self-identification as a man, woman, transgender or other identified category, like intersex. When you face any trouble with officials or people who want you to prove the gender you identify with, you have the option of showing them the documents given below.  Option 1: Affidavit or Undertaking An affidavit/undertakingRead more

Ration Cards are helpful when you want to get essential goods such as rice, grains, etc. at a lower subsidised price from shops set up by the government. Ration Cards have been introduced as part of the Government’s Public Distribution System and are an important identity proof. They are issued to people depending on theirRead more

A Passport is an official document issued by the government that allows you to travel internationally.1 The Ministry of External Affairs issues Passports through the Central Passport Organisation (CPO) and you will be able to apply for a passport by approaching Passport Offices, Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) and Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSK) inRead more

A Learner’s License1 is a temporary license which is valid for 6 months, which legally allows you to practice driving on Indian roads, as long as you are accompanied by an adult who holds a valid Driving License. 2 Please note that you must be 18 years old before you apply for a Driving License.Read more

A Driving License (DL) is an official document, issued in the form of a card, by the Regional Transport Office (RTO) or Regional Transport Authority (RTA) of each State, under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways,  which permits you to drive one or more types of vehicles, such as a motorcycle, car, etc. onRead more

A Voter ID Card, also known as the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) is a photo identity card that is issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to all individuals who are eligible to vote.1 This card is commonly known by other names such as an election card, voter’s card, Voter ID, etc.  NewRead more

PAN (Permanent Account Number) is an identification proof mandatorily required to file taxes which is issued by the Income Tax Department. Details of your PAN Card are also asked by employers for salary transfers, TDS deductions, etc. and by banks while opening bank accounts. Initially, you will have to apply for a PAN Number. WhenRead more

Aadhaar is a 12-digit identification number1, specific to each individual2, issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to the residents of India after satisfying a verification process based on demographic information and biometric information.3 You will be assigned an Aadhaar number on a card with your personal details such as name, date ofRead more

Identification documents play a major role in facilitating your rights such as the right to healthcare, education, etc. and are also important for day-to-day activities such as applying for a SIM Card or a bank account, etc. It is your right to get identification documents recognizing the gender you want to be associated with.  GendersRead more

The LGBTQ+ community includes multiple self-identified groups, and the term “LGBTQ” stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and “+” denotes the wide extent of the community which includes many sexual identities.   Courts have accepted that it is the right of any person to choose their gender if they do not identify with the sexRead more

LGBTQ+ persons may face harassment or discrimination by medical personnel like doctors, nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. For example, some hospitals may deny  treatment for a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) because of a persons sexual orientation or gender identity, i.e, if they are a gay, bisexual, etc. In such cases, a person can take appropriate actionRead more

Trigger Warning: The following content contains information on mental health issues which some readers may find disturbing. Not being a straight person/cisgendered is not grounds for being diagnosed with a mental disorder. This means merely being a LGBTQ+ person does not make someone mentally ill.1 However, when a person experience significant distress due to theRead more

Trigger Warning: The following content contains information on sexual health issues which some readers may find disturbing. A person may be at risk of contracting Sexually Transmitted Infections/Diseases (STI/STD) like gonorrhea, syphilis, AIDS, etc., if they are sexually active. The risk of contraction may be higher if a person fall into certain categories. For example,Read more

When a person goes for any surgery including GAT or corrective surgery, remember that it cannot be done without their written consent. The age of consent for medical procedures is 18 years1, and  consent given by a person of unsound mind or a child below 12 years is not valid. 2 No one including hospitals,Read more

Typically, those who do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth may want to go through surgeries to align more strongly with their chosen gender. However, a person does not have to go through any surgeries to be given recognition with their self-identified gender. 1. In this regard, given below are twoRead more

LGBTQ+ persons might have healthcare needs that are specific and unique to their experiences. Some of the common healthcare issues are:  Mental health issues Sexual health issues Physical issues with respect to gender-altering surgeries There may also be a social bias present, which may make accessing adequate healthcare difficult. For example, a therapist may refuseRead more

Sexual harassment can happen to you in these workplaces: Government based organizations: Any establishment, such as offices, branches, undertakings, etc.that is owned, controlled, established or financed wholly or substantially by the government, local authority or a cooperative society.  Private sector based organizations: Any private establishment, such as non-governmental organizations, ventures, societies, trusts, etc., carrying onRead more

If you are a working woman in any capacity as given under, you will be protected from being subjected to sexual harassment at the workplace no matter the terms or conditions of employment, where they are employed or if they are simply visiting a place of work1. Section 2(a), Sexual Harassment of Women at WorkplaceRead more

You also have an option to file a criminal complaint if you are being sexually harassed at work. A Criminal Complaint, if proved, will put your harasser in jail. Criminal law in India makes the following acts illegal, allowing you to approach the police by filing an FIR or making a private complaint to theRead more

Any woman (student, teaching, non-teaching staff) of any age at a University campus can file a complaint of sexual harassment. Apart from workplaces, Universities also must work to prevent sexual harassment. Colleges are required by law to have 1: Align their sexual harassment rules to the Indian law on sexual harassmentTreat claims of sexual harassmentRead more

If you belong to an unorganised sector or a small establishment that does not have an Internal Complaints Committee, you can approach the Local Complaints Committee that has been set up by the District Officer. The Local Committee accepts complaints from1: Women working in an organisation having less than 10 employeesDomestic workersWhen the complaint is againstRead more

Workplaces with more than 10 employees are required to set up a committee that specifically handles cases of Sexual Harassment. This is known as the Internal Committee. It must have1. The Internal Committee has to follow the regulations for taking complaints and making inquiries in a reasonable amount of time. The company or institution hasRead more

Under the law, an employer has to take certain steps to create a safe work environment for women. Women in the workplace should feel safe from sexual harassment from co-workers as well as others who might just be visiting the workplace. It’s important for employers to display the sexual harassment policy of the company whereRead more

False complaints made on purpose or fake documents given to the committee are taken very seriously. If a victim or someone acting for them does either of these things, they could be punished based on the service rules of the workplace. If there are no service rules, the action taken against them can be decidedRead more

The law does not have a single punishment for all cases of Sexual Harassment at the workplace. Instead, the Committee investigating will recommend that the victim‘s employer act according to the service rules of their workplace, if it has them1. If you have an employee handbook, please refer to that to see how your employerRead more

The amount of money that victims will receive as compensation is based on the following things1: Mental trauma and distress caused to the victim Lost job opportunities because of the sexual harassment Medical treatment (physical or psychiatric) that the victim needs The victim’s income and general financial status. The Committee can decide whether this moneyRead more

If you do not want to take care of your sexual harassment claim through a formal complaint with the Internal Committee, then you can ask the Committee to help settle the matter through Conciliation1. Conciliation is a mutual agreement between the victim and the accused person to settle the problem between themselves, peacefully. Only theRead more

Both the victim and the accused have the right to appeal the decision of the Internal or Local Committee. They should appeal within 90 days of the decision of the Committee1. For example, cases could be appealed when the Committee decides that: There has been no sexual harassment2 The offender should be let off orRead more

The law takes into account that you may not be able to make a complaint of sexual harassment due to certain physical or mental issues. To facilitate justice, the law allows others to complain on your behalf. If you are unable to file a complaint by yourself because of a physical issue, a complaint canRead more

As a victim, you have a right to keep your complaint and the things that happen after it private. The law guarantees that the following information is private1: Your identity and address The identity and address of the person you accused, as well as the witnesses Information about the conciliation (see what this means inRead more

If you are sexually harassed at work and have filed a complaint, usually an Internal Committee will look into your case. While they are doing this, your employer cannot force you to keep working or take away any leave you are owed. You can use your leave and even ask the Committee for more. YourRead more