Landmark judgment in favour of sexual minorities

Landmark judgment in favour of sexual minorities
The Supreme Court , on Friday, passed a landmark judgment in favour of the sexual minorities including trans-sexuals, bisexuals, gays and lesbians.
The apex court asked the government to give recognition to the people of third sex when giving citizenship certificates or other state benefits. They can now use their own sexual identities when receiving such certificates.
The Court asked the government to protect the rights and recognition of the people of sexual minorities.
A division bench comprising two judges Balaram KC and Pawan Kumar Ojha delivered the verdict in response to a Public Interest Litigation filed seven months ago by Sunil Babu Panta, president of Blue Diamond Society.
The bench has ordered the government to bring out necessary legal changes to ensure the rights of sexual minorities. It said that their rights must be protected as guaranteed by the constitution and international conventions.
On the issue of allowing same sex marriages, the SC has asked the government to carry out studies and has also asked to form a committee to carry out the study.
Meanwhile, Panta said that SC’s judgment has given the freedom and recognition to sexual minorities. He hoped that the judgment will be fully implemented by the government.
Panta claimed that various studies show 8 to 10 percent of the people belong to the sexual minority group.