With the Assembly elections to be held next month,eunuchs and transgenders have once again put forward their demand to be extended the fundamental right of voting to them as a community. Laxmi Narayan Tripathi,member of NGO Astitva,along with a group of students and other social activists,has moved a four-page complaint before the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) terming the denial to vote as gross violation of Human Rights in the state. We are as much a citizen as any other person residing in this state. We should be treated at par with other citizens. We should also be given a chance to elect candidates, said Tripathi. Tripathi holds the credit of being the only eunuch in the UNs Civil Society Task Force on HIV Comparing Maharashtra with Tamil Nadu,where the government has recognised eunuchs as different gender and has been more humane towards the community,the complaint said,Tamil Nadu government has already issued ration cards to the eunuchs in their state. It is the only state to have recognised eunuchs as a different sex. The complaint is scheduled to be heard on November 4. The SHRC has issued notices to the chief secretary of the state government to file a reply on not furnishing the ration card and voter ID for so long.
