Govt to drop the word 'eunuch' from Police Act

The State government on Tuesday submitted to the High Court that it would remove the word ‘eunuch’ from Section 36A of the Karnataka Police Act, 1963. The Section provides for maintaining a register of names and places of eunuchs suspected of kidnapping or emasculating boys.

The Karnataka Sexual Minorities Forum had approached the court contending that the State government inserted the said provision in the Act in April 2011 leading to further marginalising the transgender community which was already facing widespread stigma and discrimination.

The government in the previous hearing had stated that it would have deliberate on removing the said Section or amending it.

The petitioner had contended that Section 36 A operates on the erroneous assumption that the members of the transgender community have inclination to commit crime.

It had sought directions from the Court for striking down the said Section. Principal government advocate R Devdas sought more time from the court to consider the amendment of the said section of the Act.

A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice Ravi Malimath granted time for the government to submit amended provisions of the Act and posted the next hearing after six months.