Govt to HC: word 'eunuch' removed from Police Act

 The word ‘eunuch’ has been deleted from Section 36A of the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, the state government informed the high court on Monday.

The government counsel stated that a gazette notification had been issued, replacing the word ‘eunuch’ with ‘persons’ in the said section. The submission was made after the Karnataka Sexual Minorities Forum, transgender activist Akkai Padmashali, and Jeeva, a nonprofit for sexual minorities, filed a PIL petition for removal of the word.

The section gives police power to regulate eunuchs and mandates them to maintain a register of names and places of eunuchs suspected of kidnapping or emasculating boys.

The petitioners contended that the insertion of the section in April 2011 further marginalised the transgender community which is already facing widespread stigma and discrimination. Section 36A operates on the erroneous assumption that members of the transgender community have an innate tendency towards crime. Transgenders have to live under constant fear of police taking action against them, they had argued.  A division bench of Chief Justice S K Mukherjee and Justice R B Budihal disposed of their petition following the government’s submission.

No bail for terror accused

The high court has dismissed the bail application of a man from Bhatkal who is accused of plotting bomb blasts across the country.

A division bench of Justices B S Patil and B V Nagarathna on Monday dismissed the bail application of Abdus Saboor who was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention)Act, 1967, and the Explosive Substances Act, 1984.

The prosecution opposed his bail application, contending that he was a member of the banned organisation, Indian Mujahideen, and was “plotting” bomb blasts during the visit of former US President Barack Obama for the Republic Day parade in 2015.