{"id":309124,"date":"2023-12-13T09:00:54","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T03:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?p=309124"},"modified":"2023-12-12T20:04:31","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T14:34:31","slug":"gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender Affirming Surgeries and Minors &#8211; The Law in India"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;\">\n<h4 style=\"background-image: linear-gradient(to left, #FFFFFF, rgb(121, 164, 210));\">Introduction<\/h4>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">L<span style=\"font-variant: small-caps;\">GBTQIA+<\/span> &mdash; A sub-group that has always been a part of our society. Yet, for the longest time, law and regulation in India pertaining to most aspects of their existence was either conspicuously absent or downright disparaging. The tide turned on 15-4-2014 when the Supreme Court of India passed its landmark judgment in <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">National Legal Services Authority<\/span> v. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Union of India.<\/span><a id=\"fnref1\" href=\"#fn1\" title=\"1. (2014) 5 SCC 438.\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/a> The &#8220;third gender&#8221; was explicitly recognised in this judgment. The right to identify with one&#8217;s &#8220;self-identified&#8221; gender was also recognised. Then, in <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Navtej Singh Johar<\/span> v. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Union of India<\/span><a id=\"fnref2\" href=\"#fn2\" title=\"2. (2018) 10 SCC 1.\"><sup>2<\/sup><\/a>, the draconian colonial legacy of Section 377<a id=\"fnref3\" href=\"#fn3\" title=\"3. Penal Code, 1860, S. 377.\"><sup>3<\/sup><\/a> was abolished, by reading down the said provision to allow consensual sexual relationships for adults of all sexual orientations. Then, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9000343771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019<\/a><a id=\"fnref4\" href=\"#fn4\" title=\"4. Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.\"><sup>4<\/sup><\/a> was brought into force. The latest development has been the controversial verdict on queer marriages.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">One of the ways in which an individual may express their self-identified gender identity is by undergoing a &#8220;gender affirming surgery&#8221;. Adults freely exercise this right under the current legal regime in India. The law is, however, ambiguous in a situation where a minor, especially one currently in a state of adolescence, wishes to exercise this right. The authors seek to examine this peculiar issue in the present article. The authors also tread into the details of such surgeries, the contours of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9000343771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019<\/a> and international practices. Their intent is to present a holistic view on this rather complex and sensitive subject.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"background-image: linear-gradient(to left, #FFFFFF, rgb(121, 164, 210));\">Gender affirming surgeries &#8211; Meaning and types<\/h4>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">A gender affirming surgery also known as a sex reassignment surgery (SRS), is a medical procedure designed to assist individuals who identify with a gender that differs from the one assigned to them at birth. These surgeries aim to modify the physical features of the body in accordance with the individual&#8217;s self-identified gender, encompassing procedures such as genital reconstruction surgery.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Male-to-female (MTF)<\/span>:<\/span> It entails the conversion of male anatomy into female anatomy, which includes the removal of the penis, reshaping of genital tissue, and the creation of a vagina. After the surgery, female hormones are introduced to further sculpt the body&#8217;s characteristics.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Female-to-male (FTM)<\/span>:<\/span> Conversely, female-to-male surgery often faces greater challenges in achieving optimal results because of the complexity of fashioning a functional penis from the comparatively smaller clitoral tissue found in female genitalia. In addition to the genital modifications, surgical adjustments to the breasts are also necessary.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"background-image: linear-gradient(to left, #FFFFFF, rgb(121, 164, 210));\">Legal landscape on transgenders in India<\/h4>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">In 2019, the Indian Parliament enacted the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink.aspx?q=JTXT-9000343771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019<\/a>, with the primary aim of safeguarding the rights and promoting the welfare of individuals who are either born as transgender or identify as such. Section 2(<span style=\"font-style: italic;\">k<\/span>)<a id=\"fnref5\" href=\"#fn5\" title=\"5. Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, S. 2(k).\"><sup>5<\/sup><\/a> of the Act defines a &#8220;transgender person&#8221; as an individual whose gender identity does not align with the gender assigned to them at birth and includes trans men and trans women, people with intersex variations and individuals with sociocultural identities such as kinner, hijra, aravani, and jogta.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">To attain legal recognition as a transgender person, an individual who identifies as such can initiate the process by applying to the District Magistrate (DM) under Section 5<a id=\"fnref6\" href=\"#fn6\" title=\"6. Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, S. 5.\"><sup>6<\/sup><\/a> of the Act for the issuance of a certificate. Upon receipt of such an application, the DM is mandated to issue the applicant a certificate that officially acknowledges their transgender identity. Section 7<a id=\"fnref7\" href=\"#fn7\" title=\"7. Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, S. 7.\"><sup>7<\/sup><\/a> of the Act specifically addresses those who have undergone gender affirming surgeries. It allows them to seek a revised certificate reflecting their reaffirmed gender identity by making an application to the DM. The DM, upon satisfying the application&#8217;s accuracy, would issue a certificate that reflects the change in the individual&#8217;s gender identity.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">Despite being a step in the right direction, the Act has faced criticism as it directly contradicts the 2014 <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">NALSA<\/span><a id=\"fnref8\" href=\"#fn8\" title=\"8. (2014) 5 SCC 438.\"><sup>8<\/sup><\/a> judgment, which supports self-identification for transgender individuals. However, the Act, instead of allowing transgender individuals to self-identify, mandates that they must obtain certification from the DM.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"background-image: linear-gradient(to left, #FFFFFF, rgb(121, 164, 210));\">The law on gender affirming surgeries for minors in India<\/h4>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The legal position on gender affirming surgeries of minors in India is currently evolving. There is no specific statutory provision which discusses it. The High Courts of different States have, however, expressed their views on certain aspects of this issue.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">In <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Arunkumar<\/span> v. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Inspector General of Registration<\/span><a id=\"fnref9\" href=\"#fn9\" title=\"9. 2019 SCC OnLine Mad 8779.\"><sup>9<\/sup><\/a>, the High Court of Madras noted that the mandate of the Supreme Court was not being followed. It thus directed the Government of Tamil Nadu to issue an order in compliance with the Supreme Court&#8217;s declaration. Consequently, the State Government issued GO(Ms) No. 355, dated 13-08-2019<a id=\"fnref10\" href=\"#fn10\" title=\"10. Government of Tamil Nadu, G.O. (Ms) No. 355 (13-8-2019).\"><sup>10<\/sup><\/a>. By way of this order, gender affirming surgeries on children and infants were banned for all purposes, except life-threatening situations. Interestingly, the order even cast an obligation of the Director of Medical Education in the State to ensure that the exemption for &#8220;life-threatening situations&#8221; was not misused.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The High Court of Delhi was faced with the question of the legality of gender affirming surgeries on children in <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Srishti Madurai Educational Research Foundation<\/span> v.<span style=\"font-style: italic;\"> State (NCT of Delhi)<\/span><a id=\"fnref11\" href=\"#fn11\" title=\"11. 2022 SCC OnLine Del 5003.\"><sup>11<\/sup><\/a>. The matter arose from a petition filed by S<span style=\"font-variant: small-caps;\">MERF<\/span> against the Government of Delhi. The petition had been filed seeking a ban on sex selective surgeries on intersex children, which were not medically necessary. The petition also sought the implementation of guidelines specifying the conditions under which such surgeries could be performed on intersex children. Vide its order dated 27-7-2022, the Court recorded the recommendations made by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (D<span style=\"font-variant: small-caps;\">CPCR<\/span>), which were brought to its notice by the petitioner. The D<span style=\"font-variant: small-caps;\">CPCR<\/span> had recommended that the Government of Delhi should ban such surgeries and only allow them in cases where a child&#8217;s life was at risk. The Court disposed of the petition by granting time to the Government of Delhi to reach a decision on the D<span style=\"font-variant: small-caps;\">CPCR<\/span>&#8217;s recommendations.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">More recently, the High Court of Kerala also dealt with this issue, in <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">X<\/span> v. <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Director of Health Services<\/span><a id=\"fnref12\" href=\"#fn12\" title=\"12. 2023 SCC OnLine Ker 6244.\"><sup>12<\/sup><\/a>. The petitioners had approached the Court seeking permission to have a genital reconstructive surgery performed on their intersex child, to raise the child as a female. The Court took note of the fact that the minor child was in no position to give consent. Therefore, the Court did not allow the petitioners&#8217; prayers and rather thought it fit to constitute a State-Level Multidisciplinary Committee consisting of both medical and psychological experts to decide on the issue. It was directed that the Committee would decide whether a surgery was required within 2 months, if there were any threat to the life of the child. Further, the Government was directed to issue an order regulating sex selective surgeries on infants and children within three months.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The abovementioned judgments and State orders make it clear that gender affirming surgeries cannot be performed on infants, since they are in no state to give consent. However, they are all silent on whether minors who are not infants can voluntarily opt for such surgeries.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"background-image: linear-gradient(to left, #FFFFFF, rgb(121, 164, 210));\">International practices<\/h4>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">Last year, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health recommended that the age requirements for gender affirming surgeries be lifted. In most countries, the age eligibility for such surgeries is still 18 years. Some countries have lowered these limits. It is 16 in Scotland and 17 in England. In the United States, at least 15 States do not allow persons under the age of 18 years to undergo gender affirming surgeries.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"background-image: linear-gradient(to left, #FFFFFF, rgb(121, 164, 210));\">Authors&#8217; analysis and views<\/h4>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">The question that now arises is whether minors would be considered to give valid consent to gender affirming surgeries under the law in India. The age for consent may differ across spectrums. Legal liability may accrue to minors of a certain age, while others may escape the same. For instance, children above the age of 7 years may be charged with crimes in many cases, as they are considered mature enough to have the &#8220;mens rea&#8221; for an offence. If that is the case, one may question why minors have attained the age of puberty may not be able to give consent to a gender affirming surgery. Alternatively, it may be argued that not all minors attain maturity at the same age. Studies have shown that notions of gender may change with time and some adolescents may even have temporary feelings of identification with another gender. However, the consequences of a gender affirming surgery are permanent. Most importantly, reproductive capacity is lost.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"background-image: linear-gradient(to left, #FFFFFF, rgb(121, 164, 210));\">Conclusion<\/h4>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 3%;\">It is about time that appropriate policies be enforced across States in this regard as well, in India, considering the unique circumstances of Indian States, since this is a State subject. The same would reduce ambiguity on the subject and strike a balance between L<span style=\"font-variant: small-caps;\">GBTQIA+<\/span> rights and the appropriate age for surgeries with permanent consequences.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u2020Advocate. Author can be reached at &lt;<a href=\"mailto:utsav2395@gmail.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">utsav2395@gmail.com<\/a>&gt;.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000080;\">\u2020\u2020Advocate. Author can be reached at &lt;<a href=\"mailto:harsimranduggal21@gmail.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">harsimranduggal21@gmail.com<\/a>&gt;.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn1\" href=\"#fnref1\">1.<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/Y8ird7Oi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">(2014) 5 SCC 438<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn2\" href=\"#fnref2\">2.<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/8gd9DlY2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">(2018) 10 SCC 1<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn3\" href=\"#fnref3\">3.<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/DPp4NYnl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Penal Code, 1860, S. 377<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn4\" href=\"#fnref4\">4.<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/87UM7Ym2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn5\" href=\"#fnref5\">5.<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/uB3V62yD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, S. 2(<span style=\"font-style: italic;\">k<\/span>)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn6\" href=\"#fnref6\">6.<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/4iU7mxsT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, S. 5<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn7\" href=\"#fnref7\">7.<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/gs3wX8lx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, S. 7<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn8\" href=\"#fnref8\">8.<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/Y8ird7Oi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">(2014) 5 SCC 438<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn9\" href=\"#fnref9\">9.<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/1nsLf31y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2019 SCC OnLine Mad 8779<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn10\" href=\"#fnref10\">10.<\/a> Government of Tamil Nadu, G.O. (Ms) No. 355 (13-8-2019).<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn11\" href=\"#fnref11\">11.<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/Q52081Qf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2022 SCC OnLine Del 5003<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: -18pt;\"><a id=\"fn12\" href=\"#fnref12\">12.<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scconline.com\/DocumentLink\/rm7p10Fy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2023 SCC OnLine Ker 6244<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Utsav Mukherjee\u2020 and Harsimran Duggal\u2020\u2020<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8808,"featured_media":309158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42503,1191],"tags":[63449,63447,42041,63448,50607,63450,63446],"class_list":["post-309124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-legal-analysis","category-op-ed","tag-female-to-male","tag-gender-affirming-surgery","tag-government-of-delhi","tag-male-to-female","tag-sex-reassignment-surgery","tag-state-government-issued","tag-surgeries-and-minors"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.4 (Yoast SEO v26.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Gender Affirming Surgeries and Minors - The Law in India | SCC Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"LGBTQIA+ \u2014 A sub-group that has always been a part of our society. Yet, for the longest time, law and regulation in India\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gender Affirming Surgeries and Minors - The Law in India\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"LGBTQIA+ \u2014 A sub-group that has always been a part of our society. Yet, for the longest time, law and regulation in India\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SCC Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/scc.online\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-12-13T03:30:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Surgeries-and-Minors.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"886\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"590\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bhumika Indulia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Gender Affirming Surgeries and Minors - The Law in India\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Bhumika Indulia\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/\",\"name\":\"Gender Affirming Surgeries and Minors - The Law in India | SCC Times\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Surgeries-and-Minors.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-13T03:30:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/919ec47cc1b871b362af05740398033a\"},\"description\":\"LGBTQIA+ \u2014 A sub-group that has always been a part of our society. Yet, for the longest time, law and regulation in India\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Surgeries-and-Minors.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Surgeries-and-Minors.webp\",\"width\":886,\"height\":590,\"caption\":\"Surgeries and Minors\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Gender Affirming Surgeries and Minors &#8211; The Law in India\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"SCC Times\",\"description\":\"Bringing you the Best Analytical Legal News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/919ec47cc1b871b362af05740398033a\",\"name\":\"Bhumika Indulia\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Me-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Me-150x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Bhumika Indulia\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/author\/editor_1\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Gender Affirming Surgeries and Minors - The Law in India | SCC Times","description":"LGBTQIA+ \u2014 A sub-group that has always been a part of our society. Yet, for the longest time, law and regulation in India","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Gender Affirming Surgeries and Minors - The Law in India","og_description":"LGBTQIA+ \u2014 A sub-group that has always been a part of our society. Yet, for the longest time, law and regulation in India","og_url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/","og_site_name":"SCC Times","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/scc.online\/","article_published_time":"2023-12-13T03:30:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":886,"height":590,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Surgeries-and-Minors.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Bhumika Indulia","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Gender Affirming Surgeries and Minors - The Law in India","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Bhumika Indulia","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/","name":"Gender Affirming Surgeries and Minors - The Law in India | SCC Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Surgeries-and-Minors.webp","datePublished":"2023-12-13T03:30:54+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/919ec47cc1b871b362af05740398033a"},"description":"LGBTQIA+ \u2014 A sub-group that has always been a part of our society. Yet, for the longest time, law and regulation in India","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Surgeries-and-Minors.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Surgeries-and-Minors.webp","width":886,"height":590,"caption":"Surgeries and Minors"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/12\/13\/gender-affirming-surgeries-and-minors-the-law-in-india\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gender Affirming Surgeries and Minors &#8211; The Law in India"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/","name":"SCC Times","description":"Bringing you the Best Analytical Legal News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/919ec47cc1b871b362af05740398033a","name":"Bhumika Indulia","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Me-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Me-150x150.jpg","caption":"Bhumika Indulia"},"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/author\/editor_1\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Surgeries-and-Minors.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":298965,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/08\/09\/kerala-high-court-scope-genital-reconstructive-surgery-children\/","url_meta":{"origin":309124,"position":0},"title":"\u201cIssue an order to regulate sex-selective surgeries on infants and children within 3 months\u201d; Kerala High Court to government","author":"Ridhi","date":"August 9, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In the meantime, Kerala High Court restricted sex selective surgery to be permitted specifically on the opinion of a State Level Multidisciplinary Committee depicting the same to be essential for saving the child's\/infant's life.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"kerala high court","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/kerala-high-court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/kerala-high-court.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/kerala-high-court.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/kerala-high-court.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":293416,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/05\/30\/right-to-choose-gender-identity-integral-to-human-personality-rajasthan-high-court-legal-news\/","url_meta":{"origin":309124,"position":1},"title":"\u201cRight to choose sex or gender identity integral to a human&#8217;s personality\u201d: Rajasthan High Court while directing for recognition of male after gender reassignment surgery","author":"Ridhi","date":"May 30, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Rajasthan High Court referred to the three types of genders as per Rigveda in Hindu mythology, consideration of the third gender in the modern society, and said that these people are struggling to be a part of the civil society.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rajasthan High Court","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/MicrosoftTeams-image-518.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/MicrosoftTeams-image-518.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/MicrosoftTeams-image-518.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/MicrosoftTeams-image-518.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":245624,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/03\/15\/transgender-in-ncc\/","url_meta":{"origin":309124,"position":2},"title":"[Transgender in NCC] \u201cWe cannot take recourse to the outdated provisions of 1948 to deal with the realities of life in the year 2021\u201d; Kerala HC directs NCC to consider enrolment of a trans woman in the female wing","author":"Editor","date":"March 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Kerala High Court: In a historic judgment Anu Sivaraman, J., had broken the norm by allowing trans women to appear for enrolment in the National Cadet Corps female wing. The Bench remarked, \u201cPetitioner who has opted for the female gender and has undergone sex reassignment surgeries for aiding her self\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":237839,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2020\/10\/22\/kar-hc-self-identification-of-ones-gender-lies-at-the-heart-of-fundamental-right-to-life-and-personal-liberty-and-state-authorities-are-obligated-to-give-legal-recognition-to-the-same-writ\/","url_meta":{"origin":309124,"position":3},"title":"Kar HC | Self-identification of one\u2019s gender lies at the heart of Fundamental Right to Life and Personal Liberty and State authorities are obligated to give legal recognition to the same; Writ Petition Allowed","author":"Editor","date":"October 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Karnataka High Court: John Michael Cunha J., while allowing the present writ petition moved by a transgender against the declaration of her self identified gender in official documents, reiterated the observations made in National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India, (2014) 5 SCC 438 and clarified upon the applicability\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":241858,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/01\/06\/bom-hc-can-a-transgender-contest-election-from-a-seat-reserved-for-women-candidate-hc-espouses-transgender-peoples-right-to-self-perceived-gender-identity\/","url_meta":{"origin":309124,"position":4},"title":"Bom HC | Can a transgender contest election from a seat reserved for women candidate? HC espouses transgender people\u2019s \u201cRight to Self-Perceived Gender Identity\u201d","author":"Bhumika Indulia","date":"January 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Bombay High Court: A Vacation Bench of Ravindra V. Ghuge, J., allowed the petitioner, a transgender person, to contest the panchayat elections from a seat reserved for women candidate. Backdrop The petitioner was aggrieved by the rejection of her nomination form by the Returning Officer. She had decided to choose\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case Briefs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case Briefs","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/casebriefs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Bombay-HC.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Bombay-HC.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Bombay-HC.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Bombay-HC.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Bombay-HC.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":243504,"url":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2021\/02\/06\/from-gender-binary-to-gender-spectrum-recognition-to-cis-trans-marriage-in-india\/","url_meta":{"origin":309124,"position":5},"title":"From Gender Binary to Gender Spectrum: Recognition to Cis-Trans Marriage in India","author":"Bhumika Indulia","date":"February 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Aastha Khanna*","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Op Eds&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Op Eds","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/category\/op-ed\/legal-analysis\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/gender.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/gender.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/gender.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/gender.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/gender.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8808"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309124\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/309158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}