143 public toilets constructed for transgender persons: Delhi Govt to HC

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday closed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) which sought direction to construct separate washrooms for the third gender on the ground that the absence of such public toilets makes them prone to sexual assault and harassment.

On the PIL filed by Jasmine Kaur Chhabra, the Delhi Government and the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) submitted affidavits and action taken reports.

The Delhi Government has provided an update to the High Court in a status report.

It was revealed that 143 separate public toilets have already been constructed, with an additional 223 toilets currently under construction for the same purpose.

Furthermore, plans for an additional 30 toilets are in the pipeline.

Moreover, the Delhi Government informed the court, as many as 1,584 toilets originally designated for Persons With Disabilities have been designated for use by transgender persons.

A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora presided over the matter.

Advocate Rupinder Pal Singh, representing Chhabra, expressed no objection to the closure of the PIL but requested that the Delhi Government be held accountable to the commitments and statements made in the status report and action taken reports.

Consequently, the court issued an order stating, "Making the respondent bound by the statement and undertaking given in the status report and action taken reports, the present writ petition is closed."