Telangana high court quizzes government on separate wards for transgenders

HYDERABAD: Describing the state’s affidavit on the steps taken for the welfare of transgender community during the ongoing pandemic period as vague, the Telangana high court has directed the state to inform it by July 6 whether it is ready to earmark separate isolation wards for this section of patients in hospitals.
The bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy was hearing a PIL filed by Vijay Jagdish Mogli from Attapur in Hyderabad who sought state support for transgender persons. The bench went through the affidavit filed by the state and said that it was filled with incomplete details. The affidavit says medicines are being given to transgender persons. “It also says about roping in NGOs, but again no details on what help was rendered through which NGOs. Even a parrot in my house would deliver a tutored message within half an hour training. And this is affidavit is full of such tutored messages,” the bench said rejecting the state affidavit in toto.
Advocate general BS Prasad sought time to file a clear affidavit with details of the welfare measure. He told the court about setting up of huge TIMS hospital by the state at Gachibowli. The bench told him to find out whether a separate isolation ward for transgender persons can be earmarked in this hospital to safeguard their privacy.
Petitioner’s counsel Jayna Kothari urged the court to direct the state to allow the transgender people to avail rice and other groceries from the government ration shops. This would be better than state identifying them and extending help to them, she said.