Punjab Appoints First Transgender Member In Lok Adalat

The last few years have witnessed several Indian states empowering people from the transgender community by encouraging them to voice their opinions and take important leadership positions to work for the welfare of their community and society at large. Punjab is the latest one to follow suit by appointing Mohini, a person from the transgender community, as the member of jurist panel at Lok Adalat.

With this, she has become the first person from the community to hold this post in the state.

Dream come true

53-year-old Mohini is a PhD scholar doing her research in public administration. She told TOI, "It was an out-of-the-world experience for me, becoming the first transgender in Punjab to achieve this feat. It proves that with education, one can achieve anything,”

She termed her experience an enriching and fulfilling.

“I had clapped all my life and never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would ever get such an opportunity. It’s so touching," - Mohini

She has been passionately working for the betterment of her community for a number of years.

Chief judicial magistrate Gurpreet Kaur told TOI that Mohini has been included because of her commendable social work and her qualifications. "It was Right to Equality in the truest sense," she said.

Other important appointments

Assam recently appointed its first ever transgender judge to the national Lok Adalat. Swati Bidhan Baruah was appointed among 20-member judges by the Kamrup (metro) district legal service authority.

"I hope this will make people realise that #transgenders are not untouchables and the stigma we are facing is because of lack of a policy for welfare of the community.” - #SwatiBaruah, First Transgender Judge of Assamhttps://t.co/bi91XYySW7

— SheThePeople (@SheThePeopleTV) July 14, 2018

In February this year, Maharashtra appointed the state’s first transgender judge Vidya Kamble. She became a member judge in a Lok Adalat in Nagpur.

In July last year, West Bengal appointed Joyita Mondal as the country’s first transgender judge. She was appointed as a member judge during a national Lok Adalat at Islampur in North Dinajpur district.

Read: Transgender Women Who Are Trailblazers In Their Fields