SC agrees to hear transgender's plea against Air India
New Delhi, July 23 : The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a plea filed by a transgender who was refused a cabin crew position by national carrier Air India owing to her sexual orientation.
Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud said they would hear after two weeks the petition of Shanavi Ponnusamy, who alleged she was not hired by Air India because she is a transgender and the vacancies in the cabin crew were earmarked only for men or women.
Ponnusamy, who had undergone gender surgery in 2014 to change into a woman, moved the apex court to scrap the airline's hiring criteria which included a group discussion and a personality screening test for those willing to apply for cabin crew jobs.
Ponnusamy, born in 1989 in Tamil Nadu, graduated in engineering in 2010. She learnt about an advertisement on July 10, 2017 by Air India for the post of a female cabin crew for its Northern Region office in Delhi for an initial period of five years.
She applied in the female category as she had undergone a successful sexual reassignment surgery in Bangkok, she said in the plea, adding that she had no other option than to apply as a woman since there was no transgender column in the form given by Air India.
The petitioner said she got a call letter, appeared for group discussion and Personal Assessment tests and undertook four attempts, "but unfortunately she has not been short-listed for the post in question even though she fared well in the tests conducted".
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 prohibits discrimination. It is clear that no person shall discriminate against a transgender person in relation to employment or occupation, the petition stated.
The petition also cited the apex verdict of 2014 that gave certain directions for protection of the rights of transgenders by including a third category in documents.
It said: "The right to choose one's gender identity is an essential part to lead a life with dignity, which again falls under the ambit of Article 21. Determining the right to personal freedom and self-determination, the court observed that the gender to which a person belongs is to be determined by the person concerned."
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
