India, March 14 -- The Union government on Friday introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha that significantly narrows the definition of transgender persons, removes the right to self-identification, introduces medical boards for certification, and prescribes punishments up to life imprisonment for offences such as kidnapping and forced mutilation of children.

The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, introduced by social justice minister Virendra Kumar, replaces the broad, inclusive definition in the 2019 act - which covered anyone whose gender identity did not match the gender assigned at birth, including trans-men, trans-women, genderqueer persons and those with intersex variations - with one rooted primarily in bi...