Exclusive | NCP-SP's Anish Gawande slams Trans Amendment Bill: No consultation, criminalises support groups

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, despite protests from opposition members and backlash from transgender activists. Protests have been held across the country by activists, who said that the proposed legislation narrows the scope of the 2019 Act by changing the definition of a transgender person, leaving out many trans men and women, non-binary and gender-fluid individuals, and others who depend on self-identification.In an exclusive conversation with HT, Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) spokesperson Anish Gawande hit out at the proposed legislation and raised concerns over the lack of consultation with the transgender community on the proposed changes. He also said the bill removes the principle of self-identification, which could deny recognition to many people within the community.