A plea has been moved in the Supreme Court to seek equal protection for the transgenders from sexual crimes under the Indian Penal Code, in the absence of any specific penal provision to protect them against these offences.
The plea moved by advocate Reepak Kansal referred to the IPC provisions of 1860 vintage and recent amendments in statute and other laws on sexual offences and claimed that they did not provide any protection to the “transgenders, transsexuals, `kinnar` and eunuchs”.
The petitioner has made the ministries of law and justice, social justice and empowerment as parties.
The petitioner urged the apex court to issue a direction to the Centre to make appropriate modification/interpretation of sections/provisions of the IPC dealing with sexual assault to include transgenders, transsexuals, `kinnar` and eunuchs in the definitions in relevant laws.
The plea…