A plea filed in the Supreme Court challenges provisions of the Transgender Persons Act that allow a person to obtain official documents recognising a gender different from the one assigned at birth, arguing that this could affect protections and benefits specifically meant for women.

The plea was filed by the India chapter of the Women’s Declaration International (WDI), a UK-based organisation that advocates for preserving sex-based rights for women. WDI was formed to lobby nations to maintain language protecting women and girls on the basis of sex rather than gender or gender identity.

WDI India filed a plea in the Supreme Court challenging Section 7 of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, and Rule 7 of the Transgender Rules, which allows a person seeking a change in gender certificate.…