Srinagar, Feb. 24 -- The High Court has directed Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to undertake further exercise to determine the number of transgender people in their respective regions.

The court was hearing a 2017 petition in the public interest about the "miserable" condition of transgender people in the erstwhile state.

This PIL was taken up pursuant to certain directions issued by the Supreme Court in National Legal Services Authority vs. Union of India and others (2014).

The UT of Ladakh in its response enumerated various measures undertaken by the administration to deal with the issues pertaining to transgenders.

The UT of J&K filed the response stating that "there are 550 transgenders, out of which 450 are in ...