Transgender rights activist Harish Iyer resigned on March 26, 2026, from his position as advisor on the NHRC's Core Group on LGBTQI+ issues. He criticised the National Human Rights Commission for its silence on the Transgender Persons Amendment Bill, 2026.
Transgender rights activist Harish Iyer resigned on Thursday, March 26, 2026, from his position as advisor on the National Human Rights Commission's (NHRC) Core Group on LGBTQI+ issues. In his resignation letter, a copy of which was shared with The Hindu, he accused the NHRC of hypocrisy for remaining silent on the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, which has passed both houses of Parliament. Iyer stated, “The NHRC cannot claim to be a ‘watchdog of human rights’ or boast about ‘spreading human rights awareness’ while remaining perfectly content with this autocracy.” He described the bill as unscientific, drafted without consultations, and an attack on trans rights, reinstating humiliating medical boards and ignoring scientific understanding of gender. Appointed in 2018 via government order, Iyer noted the core group—tasked with reviewing policies from a human rights perspective—was never consulted on the bill. He criticised the NHRC for failing to uphold its own 2023 advisory on transgender welfare, which urged protections for dignity, healthcare, and against discrimination. The bill, introduced by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, falls under the administrative umbrella of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which oversees the NHRC. Separately, around 140 lawyers and feminists from the All-India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA) and National Alliance for Justice, Accountability and Rights (NAJAR) wrote to President Droupadi Murmu urging her not to grant assent. They cited procedural infirmities, lack of stakeholder consultation violating the 2014 Pre-Legislative Consultation Policy, and violations of the 2014 NALSA judgment recognising self-perceived gender as a fundamental right. Protests and press conferences occurred on March 26, with helplines set up for transgender communities.
