Decision on transgender candidate’s plea on gender to be taken today
A landmark decision on people who are born males, but subsequently change their gender to female contesting local body polls from segments reserved for women is likely to be taken on Saturday, with the Returning Officer (RO) for the Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat election deciding on a representation from a candidate.The District Collector, Thiruvananthapuram, who is the RO for the Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat, will take a call on a representation by Amaya Prasad, a male by birth who later changed the gender to female after undergoing a sex reassignment surgery, seeking to get her gender corrected as female in the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) issued by the Election Commission.“My gender continues to be shown as transgender in the EPIC, though I had submitted all relevant documents for updating it. I have also approached the commission for updating the gender. I have approached the RO for clarification on my gender, female, as I am contesting from the Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat's Pothencode division, which is reserved for women,” she said.The identification of the gender as female is essential for the acceptance and verification of the nomination submitted for the election to the division reserved for women, according to her representation. She also apprehended that her candidature would be rejected in the event of her gender not being updated. The Kerala Panchayat Raj Act and Rules are silent on these aspects, she pointed out.The Kerala High Court had directed Ms. Prasad to approach the RO on the matter.In her representation to the RO, Ms. Prasad had sought to be recognised as a female candidate for “all election-related processes, including nomination scrutiny and electoral roll verification” to enable her to contest the Pothencode division. The voters' list prepared by the commission identifies the sex of voters as male, female or a transgender person. However, the candidate, who has legally converted her gender to female, wants her gender to be identified in all election-related matters as female. "The RO is the legal authority to decide on the matter and the provisions of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, matter in the case,” said sources in the Election Commission.Another candidateBesides Ms. Prasad, another transgender candidate, Arunima M. Kurup, the Congress nominee in the Vayalar division of the Alapuzha district panchayat, is also contesting the local body polls this time. Any complaints related to the gender of such candidates can be entertained only by the Kerala High Court, as the commission has no role in the matter, sources indicated. Published - November 21, 2025 08:42 pm IST
