'Transgender Identity Certificate Will Be Valid For PAN Card Applications,' Centre Tells SC
Date
8/29/2024 5:00:28 AM
(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Centre has told the Supreme Court that a 'certificate of identity' issued by the district magistrate under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 will be treated as valid documentation for applying for a PAN card.
A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said the Union of India has in principle accepted this request and the Union government may consider incorporating it in the rules as well in order to bring clarity.
Also Read: A crisis of inclusivity: Spare a thought for transgender students
"During the pendency of this petition, we sought a reply from Union of India, who has been very supportive in this matter and by and large has accepted all the demands which have been raised in the present petition including the one, that the certificate to be issued under Section 6/7 of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 will be acceptable, if it is given by the district magistrate," the bench noted.
Sections 6 and 7 of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 deal with the issue of certificates of identity and changes in gender
The top court was hearing a 2018 plea filed by a transgender alleging that her attempt to link her PAN with Aadhaar has failed as the PAN card has no 'third gender' option unlike the Aadhaar card.
Reshma Prasad, a social activist from Bihar, had sought a direction to the Centre to create a separate third gender category option on PAN cards to enable transgenders like her to link it with Aadhaar to get an“accurate identity proof”.
Also Read: Indian Armed Forces exploring employment opportunities for transgender persons
Prasad had said she had enrolled for PAN in 2012 selecting the male gender identity category and has been getting the tax return of the year 2015-16 and 2016-2017 in the category of male.
Also Read: Pride Month: Inside a centre set up for the queer-trans community's wellness
The Aadhaar system, she said, included the category of the third gender after an apex court verdict and she registered as a transgender in the Aadhaar.
MENAFN29082024007365015876ID1108614313
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.