India, Aug. 4 -- The government on Monday told the Supreme Court that accepting the principle of self-identification of gender under the new transgender law could render 169 statutory provisions across different laws "unworkable", even as the court agreed to examine whether transgender persons issued identity cards under the previous legal regime require interim protection to continue receiving benefits already available to them.

A bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, posted the matter for August 17, when it will consider passing an interim order on protecting the rights of existing transgender card holders while the constitutional challenge to the Transgender Persons (Protection...