Punjab and Haryana HC Introduces Transgender Toilets Within Court Premises

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has recently introduced Separate restrooms for transgender individuals within the Court premises.

The development came about after advocate Maninderjit Singh practicing in Chandigarh wrote a letter to High Court administration in 2021 advocating for the same.

In 2021, Singh also wrote a letter to the High Court administration, advocating for this specific accommodation. Following this, in 2022, he correspondingly communicated with Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, urging for the provision of separate restrooms for transgender individuals in all judicial edifices and constitutional courts across India.

Upon receiving the lawyer’s request, the High Court transmitted the matter to the Chief Architect of Chandigarh, with instructions to evaluate the proposal in light of the verdict in the case of National Legal Services Authority Vs. Union of India (2014) and The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. The Registrar’s communication to the Chief Architect delineated the process: “…ascertain the practicality of establishing restrooms for transgender individuals within this Court’s premises through a collaborative assessment, subsequently submitting a feasibility report to this Committee without delay.”

As a result of these deliberations, a collective of five restrooms have been designated for the exclusive use of transgender individuals at various locations within the High Court premises. Notably, in April of this year, CJI Chandrachud endorsed the implementation of gender-neutral restrooms within the Supreme Court. This directive entailed the construction of nine universal, gender-neutral restrooms at diverse sites within both the primary and auxiliary structures of the Supreme Court.

The move came after queer, non-binary lawyer Rohin Bhatt addressed Justice Hima Kohli, who presides as the Chairperson of the Supreme Court Gender Sensitisation and Internal Complaints Committee, articulating the necessity for infrastructural inclusivity within the Supreme Court.

Earlier, in February, the Madras High Court directed the Tamil Nadu government to furnish a response to a petition advocating for gender-neutral public restrooms throughout the State for transgender individuals. Similarly, the Gujarat High Court recently issued a notice to both the Central and State governments in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) petition that sought the establishment of separate restrooms for transgender individuals in Gujarat.