Extending COVID Cash Relief To All Transgenders Without Pressing For Registration Cards: TN Govt. Tells Madras High Court

The Tamil Nadu Government has submitted before the Madras High Court today that it has decided to extend the COVID Cash relief benefit to all transgenders irrespective of whether they possess the registration cards.

The Bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice R. Subbiah sought a plea seeking the extension of COVID-19 cash relief Rs.4000/- to transgender persons in Tamil Nadu who do not possess Ration Cards.

The High Court on Monday (June 14) had said that the state should consider whether all applicants who have applied to the Transgender Board in the State by May 31, 2021 (and not beyond) may be considered as transgenders for the purpose of obtaining the benefit announced by the State.

In response to that order, the State submitted before the Court that only 2956 transgenders have been provided with the first lot of cash relief and there are a further 8493 transgender persons who are entitled to receive the same benefit.

However, the State did state its reservation that while the State may not insist on strict registration documents or identity proof, the grant should not be abused and some form of recording the name and address of the beneficiary should be followed.

To this, the Court remarked:

"Since the State has agreed to extend the benefit to all transgenders in the State irrespective of whether they are registered or not, an appropriate modality should be worked by which the transgenders receive the benefit and yet, the system is not misused."

The matter will now appear three weeks hence on July 9, 2021 for the petitioner to indicate whether any genuine transgender has been left out.