New Delhi, March 25 -- The Lok Sabha passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill 2026 on Tuesday after a three-hour long discussion, with social justice minister Virendra Kumar saying the protection of transgender persons was an "absolute need" and displayed the "moral power" of the Republic, even as the opposition called the bill "unconstitutional" and questioned the government's urgency in drafting amendments to an existing law without consulting the affected community. "In 2019, a bill to protect transgender persons was introduced in this very House. Now, we have presented another one which is sensitive, and amends a few sections only to protect those people, who on account of their biological condition, face serious social exclusion. Apart from granting rights, this law will also provide dignity and empathy so that transgender people live with equality," Kumar said. "...I want to assure the House that the community will continue to be treated equally according to the law and their rights will stay protected." The bill, expected to be discussed in the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing budget session, seeks to amend the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. It redefines the category of transgender, removes the provision of self-perceived gender identity and excludes several socio-cultural identities as well as transmasculine individuals from its ambit. Furthermore, it defines transgender persons within a biological framework, based on intersex variations and differences in sexual development. It allows greater administrative oversight and reporting by medical institutions after gender reassignment surgery. "This bill is not a reform but a regression and fundamentally alters the relationship between the citizen and the government from one of rights to one of permission. It introduces bureaucratic hurdles in an already difficult process," Congress MP S Jothimani said. Questioning the urgency of bringing the bill, NCP(SP) MP Supriya Sule said: "The bill is alarming because there is so much ambiguity in the criminal provisions that I fear it will be misused against people who want to help the transgender community." On Tuesday, several members of the transgender community at a press conference in Delhi urged the government to send the bill to a standing committee. "We are not your ardhanaari, we are not your aravani. We are humans, and we deserve our human rights," said Dalit rights activist from Tamil Nadu Grace Banu said at the press conference. "I am a 32-year-old Dalit intersex transman and I would like to invite whoever has drafted this bill to attend a gender sensitization workshop to understand the difference between intersex and transgender," Aanandh C Rajappan, who contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, said....