Tamil Nadu govt amends law to punish cops who harass LGBTQ people, after High Court’s order
Madras High Court had asked the state administration to sensitize police force about LGBTQIA+ issues.
In a major relief to the LGBTQIA+ community of Tamil Nadu, the state government has amended the existing law under the Tamil Nadu Subordinate Police Officers Conduct Rules to prevent any harassment of the community or persons working for the welfare of the community.
The order from the state home department issued on Thursday read, “No police officer shall indulge in any act of harassment of any person belonging to the LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual)+ community and those working for the welfare of the community.”
The order comes in the wake of the Madras High Court order of 2021 directing the state government to amend the police conduct rules by including a provision of punishment if any police personnel harasses LBGTQIA + people or NGO’s that assist them.
Justice Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court in his order said, “A specific clause is to be added to the Police Conduct rules specifically providing that any harassment by the police to persons belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community and/ or to the activists of the NGO’s that support them will be treated as misconduct and will entail punishment for such misconduct.”
LGBTQIA+ activist, Sarangapani of the NGO, ‘Irukkul Neram’ while speaking to IANS said, “This is a landmark order amending the Police Conduct rules. We have been working among these marginalised sections of the society for the past several years and police harassment was too much to bear. All thanks to Justice Anand Haridas for such an order and the Tamil Nadu government for implementing it by revoking the Police Conduct rules. Life will become much easier for the members of the community and those who work among them.”
The case pertains to two women who accused the police of harassing them while investigating the missing person complaint filed by their parents. The lesbian couple from Madurai had come to Chennai to start a life together.
