Andhra Pradesh’s August affidavit declined to defend the changes. The State said it had no role in enacting the law and that its constitutional validity was primarily for the Union government to address. It also told the court that it had taken no independent discriminatory action against transgender people and would comply with any court directions.
The amendments removed provisions recognising a person’s self-perceived gender identity and narrowed the statutory definition of a transgender person to physiological characteristics. The changes prompted protests and resignations by members of the National Council for Transgender Persons, although Parliament passed the Bill and the government notified it.
Uttarakhand, by contrast, defended the amendments as beneficial. Its government said implementation had not denied or diluted rights in the State and that identification, certification, welfare and rehabilitation services continued. It also said the Centre should address constitutional challenges while invoking the presumption that enacted laws are constitutional.
Andhra Pradesh reported 3,750 applications for transgender identity cards: 3,233 certificates issued, 403 applications filtered and 114 pending. Those figures are the State’s submission; the Supreme Court has yet to decide the constitutional challenge. Source: The Hindu.