Queer Rights Panel Report Still Pending

• Panel constituted in April 2024 has held only two full meetings.
• Its last recorded meeting took place on August 22, 2024.
• Committee is examining welfare, healthcare, discrimination and other rights of queer couples.
• Centre lists interim measures on ration cards, joint bank accounts and healthcare access.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 5th Aug: A high-powered government committee constituted to examine the rights and entitlements of queer couples has met only twice in more than two years and is yet to submit its report, the Centre has informed the Lok Sabha.

Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment B.L. Verma, responding to a written question from Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, said the Cabinet Secretary-led committee held meetings on May 21 and August 22, 2024.

The government’s August 4, 2026 reply listed no subsequent meeting of the full committee, making August 2024 its last recorded meeting. No expected date for submission of the panel’s report was provided.

Tharoor had sought details about the committee’s mandate and status, the number of meetings conducted, reasons for the delay and the expected timeline for completion of its report.

The Centre said the Supreme Court had not prescribed any specific deadline for the committee to complete its work. The parliamentary reply, however, did not separately explain the gap since the panel’s second meeting or indicate when it would meet again.

Panel Examining Wider Rights and Entitlements
The committee was constituted on April 16, 2024, following the Supreme Court’s October 2023 judgment on petitions seeking legal recognition for same-sex marriages.

A five-judge Constitution Bench declined to read same-sex marriage into the Special Marriage Act but recorded the government’s assurance that a Cabinet Secretary-led committee would examine rights and entitlements available to queer couples.

Its mandate extends beyond marriage recognition and includes examining measures to prevent discrimination against members of the queer community while accessing goods and services.

The panel is also tasked with considering safeguards against violence, harassment and coercion, as well as measures against involuntary medical treatment or surgery. Mental healthcare and non-discriminatory access to social welfare benefits and entitlements are also within its mandate.

Besides the Cabinet Secretary as chairperson, the committee comprises senior officials from the ministries and departments dealing with Home Affairs, Women and Child Development, Health, Legislative Affairs and Social Justice.

Centre Lists Interim Measures
While the committee’s final report remains pending, the Centre said several departments have initiated measures concerning the rights of LGBTQIA+ persons.

States and Union Territories have been advised that partners in queer relationships may be considered members of the same household for ration-card purposes and should not face discrimination in their issuance.

The Department of Financial Services has clarified that there is no restriction on members of the queer community opening joint bank accounts. An account holder can also nominate a queer partner to receive the balance after their death, according to the parliamentary reply.

The Health Ministry has asked states and other stakeholders to take measures to protect LGBTQIA+ healthcare rights, including awareness programmes, prohibition of conversion therapy, healthcare-worker sensitisation, teleconsultation services and changes to medical and educational curricula.

The government also said steps have been sought to allow a queer partner to claim the body of a deceased partner when a near relative or family member is unavailable.

Guidelines have been framed concerning medical interventions involving infants and children with intersex variations, while separate guidelines on the mental health and well-being of the queer community are under preparation. No deadline for their completion was provided.

Consultations Held in 2024
At its first meeting in May 2024, the committee discussed issues including ration cards, joint bank accounts, nomination facilities and harassment based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

A Home Secretary-led subcommittee subsequently met on May 31, 2024, to discuss welfare benefits, healthcare, public services, police action, prison visitation and protection against violence. A stakeholder consultation involving LGBTQIA+ representatives, central ministries and state governments was also held on July 25.

The full committee met for the second time on August 22, 2024, when it reviewed action taken by ministries and directed departments to issue advisories concerning the queer community.

More than two years after its constitution, however, the Cabinet Secretary-led panel’s final recommendations remain awaited.