The Madras High Court recently ordered the president of a village panchayat to file an affidavit explaining under what authority of law he gave a representation to the District Collector to cancel the patta granted by the government to the transgender people of his locality.
A bench of Justice SM Subramaniam said that a perusal of Nainarkuppam Village Panchayat president’s representation revealed that he harboured hatred towards transgender people in his locality. “…which is unconstitutional and the representation itself is directly in violation of Article 19(1)(d) of the Constitution of India,” observed the single-judge bench.
Moreover, the court noted that the Village Panchayat had also passed a resolution on April 7, 2023 in this regard which was “unconstitutional and in violation of the fundamental rights ensured to the citizen of the country”.
“The reasons stated in the representation cause concern to the mind of this court and, therefore, the petitioner is directed to be present before this court and explain under what circumstances the resolution was passed by the panchayat and also produce the copy of the same,” ordered the court.
The matter will be next taken up for orders on August 21, 2023.
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