अक़्स-ए-ख़ुशबू हूँ

PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION



To,
Date: 19/10/2010
Hon’ble Chief Justice
Supreme Courts of India
ref: ssfaesfi/peti/12/2010
New Delhi.


Sub: - Petition for Separate Gender Identification for Eunuchs in Census 2011

Syed Shah Farzand Ali Educational & Social
Foundation of India
Redg. Office 628 Rohili Tola Old City Bareilly

V / S

1. Govt. Of India, 2.State of Uttar Pradesh, 3.Census Department, 4.
Ministry Of Home Affairs, 5. HRD Department.

Sir,

Kindly refer our earlier request 24/4/10, & dated 2/7/2010, &
subsequent Fax 13/5/2010,( Xerox copy is enclosed) regarding the above
subject, wherein we had requested to kindly instruct the concern
department to carry out the above process for the Eunuchs.

With due regard we would like to mention here that very less time is
left in the completion of the census process and till date no
appropriate action has been taken, nor any satisfactory reply has been
given to us on the petition filed by us for PIL.

This is the question of the existence of approximately 1.25 crore
eunuchs in India, and it is our utmost desire that transgenders should
also enjoy the rights like other citizen of India. Therefore we most
humbly request your good self to kindly take this issue on humanity
grounds keeping in mind their social, economical, educational and
cultural status in India and also consider our request as Public
Interest Litigation.

Here we would like to bring to your kind notice that on this issue we
had correspondence with Finance department, Govt. of India and
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment Govt. of India, under Right
to Information Act 2005, seeking information regarding welfare schemes
for transgenders. According to these departments they do not have any
welfare schemes. We are enclosing all related correspondence, for your
perusal.

According to article 14 & 21 of Constitution of India ‘No person shall
be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to
procedure established by Law’ so we strongly feel that transgenders
should also not be deprived of their life or personal liberty.

Therefore once again we request your good self to give mandatory
instructions on the said subject, to all the concerned departments of
Govt. of India so that transgenders could lead their life as a
respectable and responsible citizen of India.

Waiting for earlier and positive response.

Yours truly.


(Dr. S. E. Huda)
Secretary
SSFA-ESFI

This is for Frances Mary Fischer, the transgender woman I met in New York.

An edited version appeared in The Indian Express on October 12, 2010.

Chinki Sinha
New Delhi, October 11, 2010

It was a fight for a column, a space where the numerous transgender could affirm their identity and not be compartmentalized into either male or female.
With Bihar becoming the first state to implement the Election Commission's mandate to have a separate column “Other” in the voter enrolment and registration, Dr. SE Huda, a Bareilly-based doctor who had approached the apex body that conducts elections in 2009 asking them to recognize the third gender, feels vindicated.
It is not just the Election Commission that took the lead so “others could follow suit” as per the Chief Election Commissioner SY Quershi, now the UIDAI, a Planning Commission initiative to accord identity to all Indian residents, has also extended the gender identity and inclusion to “Transgender” on their enrolment forms and their database.
The UIDAI enrolment form will now have “M”, “F” and “T” so the one million eunuchs can register as themselves.“It was a legitimate demand and we said let others follow out example. It is a good thing that the UIDAI is doing it. In the voter enrolment, the officials refused to register them as females because of their male voice so we decided to do this,” Chief Election Commissioner SY Quershi said.
“There was some representation to Navin Chawla and we immediately decided to do it. It is an all India instruction but starts with Bihar in the upcoming elections.”In February 2010 the election commission of India allowed intersex and transsexuals the right to register as voters with “Other”.
This was what Bareilly-based Dr. SE Huda, secretary of Syed Shah Farzand Ali Educational & Social Foundation of India, which has offices in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi where they work with women, children and eunuchs, fought for. At a conference for third gender equality in Bareilly in April 2009, his organization had decided they would take this up with the Election Commission, with the Census, and with the UIDAI, so the right identity is accorded and statistical data on the number of transgender in the country becomes available. Dr. Huda was also called to Delhi by former chief election commissioner Navin Chawla to discuss his work with the community and how to reach out this segment of voters with a low voting rate.
In August, the UIDAI wrote back to Barielly-based doctor Huda that the authority had already provided a third option – transgender – on their enrolment form and in the database. The 30-year-old doctor had asked the Planning Commission to include the “third sex” to accord them their rightful identity so they could access various government welfare schemes like the Tamil Nadu government's scheme of a welfare board and free sex reassignment surgeries at the government hospitals for the transgenders and the Karnataka's government pension scheme for the members of the community. For the UIDAI Huda's letter was an endorsement of sorts, and a reassurance that they were in the right direction with the marginalized community, UIDAI Deputy Director General K. Ganga said.
Ganga had responded to Dr. Huda's RTI application and she told Indian Express that the Demographic Data Standard and Verification Procedure Committee had already decided to capture the information whether a person was transgender though it wasn't their mandate to collect statistical data on eunuchs way back in December 2009, something that Dr. Huda wanted. "We had received this letter and I was the one who had responded," Ganga said. "We wrote to the President office who Huda had also written to telling them we could capture the gender but that would not be for statistical purpose. For us, it was an endorsement of our plans." In future, the UIDAI may also partner with groups and organizations that work with the transgender community.
Around five years ago, a transgender person had asked for an appointment at a hospital in Barielly but at 10 in the morning she didn't turn up at the hospital. She came later in the evening and Dr. Huda, a 30-year-old doctor who wrote to the UIDAI earlier this year to ask them to include the third sex on their enrollment form, asked her why she didn't come earlier.
She was in pain as she was suffering with cervical spondylitis and pain was radiating towards her heart and her limbs had become numb. But even acute pain couldn't bring her to go to the hospital earlier.
She asked if he wanted her to go through yet another round of humiliation in a crowded general OPD ward. Dr. Huda recalled he didn't know what to say.
“She asked me if I had the courage to diagnose her in front of everyone,” Dr. Huda said. “That led me to work towards the inclusion of the transgender in the mainstream society. I had followed it up. It is good that they did it."

Tue, Oct 12 12:44 PM
The Election Commission was the first to do it, and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has followed the example - the transgenders of India are finally being recognised by its government.

Enrolment forms of the UIDAI will have a third column - 'T', for Transgender - along with the 'M' and 'F' for Male and Female respectively, so that over a million eunuchs can register their unique identities.

The EC announced a similar decision on February 20 this year, and the Bihar Assembly elections beginning later this month have seen, for the first time, a separate column 'O' - for 'Others', meaning intersex and transsexuals — in voter enrolment and registration forms.

"It was a legitimate demand and we said let others follow our example. It is a good thing that the UIDAI is doing it. In the voter enrolment, the officials refused to register them as females because of their male voice so we decided to do this," Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi said.

"There was a representation to (former CEC) Navin Chawla and we immediately decided to do it. It is an all India instruction but starts with Bihar in the upcoming elections." The representation was made by a 30-year-old Bareilly-based doctor, S E Huda, who approached both the EC and the UIDAI on behalf of the Syed Shah Farzand Ali Educational & Social Foundation of India, which has offices in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, UP and Delhi, where they work with women, children and eunuchs.

At a conference on gender equality in 2009, Huda's organisation decided to take up the issue with key government organisations so that transgender identity is recognised and correct statistics about them is made available.

In August, the UIDAI wrote to Dr Huda to say that the Authority had already provided for a third gender identity - that of 'Transgenders' - on its enrolment forms and databases. UIDAI's Deputy Director General K Ganga said that for the Authority, Huda's letter was an endorsement of its position — and a reassurance that the Authority was going in the right direction with regard to the marginalized community.

"I was the one who responded to Huda," Ganga said. "We wrote to the President's office, where Huda too had written, to tell them we could capture the gender but that would not be for statistical purposes. For us, it was an endorsement of our plans."

In future, the UIDAI may also partner with groups and organizations that work with the transgender community, Ganga said.

Dear Friends,

You must be aware that I am running a social organization in the name of ‘Syed Shah Farzand Ali Educational & Social Foundation of India’ comprising of large community of intellectuals, doctors, national & international social activists, academicians and sport person. The organization chooses such people who are motivational, conscientious, and intellectuals with deep sense of commitment. Our approach is long term and leveraged. The organization works on social and educational issues of the society irrespective of cast and religion. We are working for the last may years in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi and near by areas mainly concentrating on the welfare of women, children and eunuchs, from the deprived group and down trodden group of the society, in respect of their education socio-economic and health status.

This time we taken and touched the important issue of the society the Eunuchs the deprived group. We are concentrating for their upliftment and rehabilitation in terms of their education, health, and socio- economic conditions.

In this context we had conducted a national seminar on April 12th 2009, which was joined by various intellectuals from every field an d for the first time hundreds of ‘Eunuchs’ attended the seminar and expressed their grievances before the intellectuals. The seminar was witnessed by both print and electronic media.

We also took a task for arranging voting facilities, for them. In this regard we had lot of correspondence with the Prime Minister of India, President of India, Election commission of India and other related ministries of India, as a outcome we achieved the target and election commission declared publicly, that eunuchs will be given separate category for voting.

In the same sequence voter’s awareness program with the eunuchs was conducted to socialize them and to feel themselves as a responsible person. We are happy to inform here that we were successful. It is just a initiative we will go on fighting till Eunuchs are accepted by the society and are considered in the main stream as any other person. Although they are deprived group of the society, but we made them a part of biggest democratic festival i.e. voter’s awareness campaign.

The task is not yet over presently we perusing Govt. for separate gender Identification in census 2011,and Our through our vigorous fight for this cause and numerous correspondence with Hon’ble President of India, Prime Minister of India, Chief Election Commissioner, Planning Commission of India, Home Minister of India, Finance Minister of India, Law Minister Of India, Ministry for Social Justice and empowerment, and related ministries, we have achieved success that now transgender will be counted in separate category UNDER CODE 3 ‘OTHERS’ in census 2011.

We are striving hard to achieve our motive of upliftment and rehabilitation of this deprived group of the society and much more have to be done in the set direction. I am forwarding link for the organization’s website,(www.ssfaesfi.org) through which you will come to know the tremendous efforts done by our organization.

This is a letter of invitation in anticipation that you will join our organization and contribute your mite in any respect. Your even little contribution will boost our moral and generate zeal to work hard for the social cause. I will be glad to have helping hands from my bosom friend.for the full detail about organization please visit-www.ssfaesfi.org.

With warms regards

Drs.s.e.huda(khan)

बरेली, जागरण संवाददाता : काम मुश्किल था, लेकिन इरादे भी अटल थे। सही दिशा में पैरवी हुई और बरेली के एतबार से बड़ा नतीजा सामने आ गया। महारजिस्ट्रार की तकनीकी सलाहकार समिति ने किन्नरों को महिला या पुरुष की जगह अलग श्रेणी में रखने की सिफारिश कर दी। अब उनकी पहचान ट्रांसजेंडर के तौर पर होगी। इस बड़ी लड़ाई को जीतने में करीब छह माह लगे। पहली बार बरेली की सरजमीन ने देशभर के किन्नरों के लिए मांग उठी। सिस्फा-इस्फी (सैयद शाह फरजंद अली एजूकेशनल एंड सोशल फाउंडेशन आफ इंडिया) के सचिव डा. एसई हुदा की अगुवाई में कम्पनी गार्डन से कलेक्ट्रेट तक किन्नरों ने अनोखा प्रदर्शन किया। नाच गाकर जनगणना में महिला या पुरुष नहीं, किन्नर लिखे जाने की मांग उठाई। प्रधानमंत्री, राष्ट्रपति आदि को पत्र लिखे गए। राष्ट्रपति भवन से यह मामला समुचित कार्रवाई को योजना आयोग के पास भेज दिया गया। उच्चतम न्यायालय में भी 24 अप्रैल को जनहित याचिका भी दाखिल की गई, जो अभी क्यू में है। इस बीच योजना आयोग ने देश के हर नागरिक को विशिष्ट पहचान संख्या यूआईडी जारी करने के लिए किन्नरों के वास्ते अलग से ट्रांसजेंडर श्रेणी आवंटित की है। अब वे महिला या पुरुष नहीं कहलाएंगे। देश के महारजिस्ट्रार कार्यालय की तकनीकी सलाहकार समिति टीएसी ने देश में जारी जनगणना में किन्नरों की अलग श्रेणी में गिनती करने की सिफारिश की है। टीएसी ने कहा है कि किन्नरों के लिए अन्य के रूप में कोड संख्या 3 का प्रावधान किया जाए। महारजिस्ट्रार कार्यालय ने यह सारी जानकारी जनसूचना अधिकार में मांगे जाने पर उपलब्ध कराई है। अब गेंद सरकार के पाले में है। उसे किन्नरों की अलग श्रेणी में गिनती करने के मुद्दे पर फैसला लेना है। देश में अब तक किन्नरों की गणना पुरुष वर्ग में की जाती रही है।

शबे क़द्र जैसी वो रातें।
इन्ना अनज़लना लै-लतुल क़द्र। कुर्आन शरीफ के तीसवें पारे की सत्तानवीं सूरत है। शबे क़द्र की रात अल्लाह तआला फरमाता है कि "है कोई अमान पाने वाला, है कोई निजात पाने वाला, है कोई मेरा चाहने वाला" अल्लाह तआला फरिश्तों का मार्फत यह संदेश पूरी दुनिया को पहुँचाता है। शबे बारात की रात इबादत की रात है। लोग अल्लाह की बारगाह में अपने गुनाहों की तौबा करते हैं और अल्लाह से अपनी जानी-अनजानी ग़लतियों की म'आफी माँगते हैं। हदीस शरीफ है कि 'अरब में बनी कल्ब नाम का एक क़बीला था। यह कबीला बकरियाँ पालता था। आज की रात इबादत करने वाले और अपने गुनाहों से तौबा करने वाले को अल्लाह तआला बकरियों का बालों के बराबर बख्शिश देगा।' अल्लाह रब्बुल इज्ज़त की बारगाह में शबे बारात की रात हर इंसान की ऑडिट रिपोर्ट तैयार होती है। जिसमें उनके भले-बुरे कामों का लेखा-जोखा होता है। आज की रात यह तय होता है कि इस साल किस-किसका अल्लाह के घर से बुलावा आयेगा और किस-किसको ज़िन्दगी मिलनी है। यानि मौत के ख़ौफ के साथ लोग अल्लाह की बारगाह में अपनी निजात की अर्ज़ी लगाते हैं। तभी तो मुहावरे में अक्सर कहा जाता है कि आज की रात शबे क़द्र की रात है।
दंगे की जद में आये किसी भी शहर की हर रात शबे क़द्र जैसी होती है। अचानक मोबाइल की घन्टी बजती है कि पूरा शहर जल रहा है। मारकाट मची है। लोगों को घरों से निकाल-निकालकर मारा-काटा जा रहा है। हिन्दु और मुसलमान अपने-अपने अपमान का बदला ले रहे हैं। हालात यह हैं कि शायद अब शहर में कोई भी ज़िन्दा न बचे। पूरी फिज़ा दो हिस्सों में बँट चुकी है। रात की काली गहराई में कहीं हर-हर महादेव तो कहीं नारा ए तकबीर। ऐसा लगता था कि मानों हर चीज़ दो भागों में बंट गयी। फोन की घन्टी भी हिन्दु और मुसलमान हो गयी थीं। ऐसा लगता था कि हिन्दु की रात अलग और मुसलमान की रात अलग है। ख्वाब बंट चुके थे। रिश्ते बंट चुके थे। जज्वात बंट चुके थे। मोहब्बतें बंट चुकी थीं। ग़र्ज़ यह कि रोटी-चावल, आटा-दाल, सब्जी़-फल सभी को दो हिस्सों में बाँट दिया गया था। यहाँ तक कि चुन्ना मियाँ के मन्दिर में चुन्ना मियाँ अलग और मन्दिर अलग हो गया था। अजीब क़ैफियत के साथ ज़ेहन पर जबरदस्त डर हावी हो रहा था। बुज़ुर्गों के मुँह से बेसाख्ता निकल पड़ा कि बँटवारे के वक्त भी ऐसे ही हालात थे। लग रहा था कि आज की रात जिन्ना साहब की ख़ताओं का सिला हिन्दुस्तान में रहने वाले हर मुसलमान को मिलने वाला है और गुजरात की सज़ा हिन्दुओं को। उन हाथों में भी नंगी तलवारें थीं जो हाथ हमेशा कौमी एकता का झन्डा उठाते हैं।
हर कोई आमादा था बस हिन्दु और मुसलमान हो जाने पर। इस बात से बेख़बर कि आने वाली नस्लों को क्या मुँह दिखाया जाएगा। चारों तरफ से शोर और धार्मिक नारों के अलावा कोई और आवाज़ नहीं आ रही थी। मस्जिदों से ऐलान होने लगे और मन्दिरों में घन्टे बजने लगे। धर्म के तथाकथित ठेकेदार लोगों से घरों में रहने की अपील कर रहे थे। कोई कुछ नहीं जानता था, क्या हो रहा है और क्यों हो रहा है, कौन करवा रहा है। शायद पहली बार मैंने अपने पड़ोसी बच्चे को बिना दूध के सोते देखा। दूध और पानी भी शायद हिन्दु और मुसलमान हो गये थे। गाय और भैंसे भी दो खेमों में बँट गयी थीं। हिन्दु जानवर अलग हो गये और मुसलिम जानवर अलग। मुसलिम मोहल्ले में रहने वाले बन्दर मुसलिम और हिन्दु मोहल्ले में रहने वाले बन्दर भी हिन्दु हो गये थे। चारों तरफ से ख़बरों का सिलसिला जारी था। बात-बात पर जायज़ा लिया जा रहा था। तालिब चचा अचानक बोले आज रात कुछ संघ वाले पड़ोस के वैद्य जी के घर में छिपकर बैठ गये हैं, आज रात मोहल्ले में हमला होना है। कहीं गुजरात न बन जाए। सभी जागते रहो, अल्लाह से सलामती की दुआ माँगते रहो। बड़े-बड़े फर्जी़ सैक्युलर अपनी कैंचुली बदल चुके थे। जो मोहल्ला सबसे ज्यादा संगीनों के साये में था, वहीं आगज़नी और लूट सबसे ज्यादा हुई। दहशत लोगों के चेहरे पर साफ दिख रही थी। शायद मौत का ख़ौफ या फिर कुछ और। ऐ खु़दा शबे बारात की रात उन लोगों को म'आफ करना, जिन लोगों ने शहर की रातों को शबे क़द्र की रात बनाया।
या अल्लाह म'आफ करने देना उन लोगों को, जो अपने घरों से पेट्रोल दे रहे थे शहर जलाने को। या अल्लाह म'आफ करने देना फहीम को जो माथे पर तिलक लगाकर हनीफ की दुकान काट रहा था। या अल्लाह म'आफ करने देना राजीव को, जो जालीदार टोपी लगाकर सुनील की दुकान लूट रहा था। या अल्लाह म'आफ करने देना उन ठेकेदारों को जो एयरकंडीशन्ड कमरों में बैठकर क़ौम और देश का भविष्य तय करते हैं। या अल्लाह म'आफ करने देना उन दोगले नेताओं को, जिन्होंने शहर के मुँह पर कालिख पोत दी। या अल्लाह म'आफ करने देना उन लोगों को, जिन्होंने जज्बाती नारों के सिवा कुछ न दिया, कुछ न किया। या रब्बुल आलमीन तू आलम का रब है, सब पर रहम करने वाला है, म'आफ कर दे उन लोगों को भी, जिन्होंने घरों के चूल्हे उजाड़ दिये। या अल्लाह ये दुआ है मेरी कि फिर कभी ऐसी रातें न देखनी पड़े कि जिसमें ख्वाब भी हिन्दु और मुसलमान हो जाएं।

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