Jail statistics to include transpersons’ data

Additional solicitor general Chetan Sharma, appearing for the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), told a bench comprising chief justice DN Patel and justice Prateek Jalan that the Prison Statistics India report would henceforth classify prisoners as male, female and transgender.

The Centre on Monday informed the Delhi high court that it had directed all states and Union territories to include data on transgender prisoners in jail statistics beginning this year.

At the last hearing, the court had sought to know from the authorities what steps they had taken for including data on transgender prisoners. (File Photo)

Additional solicitor general Chetan Sharma, appearing for the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), told a bench comprising chief justice DN Patel and justice Prateek Jalan that the Prison Statistics India report would henceforth classify prisoners as male, female and transgender.

The submission was made during a hearing on a plea filed by Karan Tripathi, an independent researcher in criminal justice and criminology, seeking a direction to the NCRB to “make requisite policy and format amendment to include the data on transgender prisoners either in the latest Prison Statistics Report, 2019 (through revision)” or “incorporate the same in the subsequent reports, which will be published in the coming years”.

At the last hearing, the court had sought to know from the authorities what steps they had taken for including data on transgender prisoners.

Following the additional solicitor general’s submission, the court disposed of the plea, which had sought a direction to the Centre to ensure prison authorities and departments “maintain data on transgender prisoners/inmates in each and every document/report required to be maintained by them”.