SC throws out eunuch’s ‘better life’ petition

The hopes of a eunuch from Rajasthan, that the Supreme Court (SC) will direct the government to ensure a “life better than animals” for the community, were dashed when the  court rejected his petition on Monday, asking him to directly approach the Centre.

Justices KG Balakrishnan and P Sathasivam rejected Sonam Singh’s plea that SC direct the government to form an all-India panel similar to those for dalits, tribals, minorities and women to ensure eunuchs’ welfare in a systematic and comprehensive way.

“Only a eunuch knows the difficulty of surviving in society in a respectful and gracious manner. I alone know the pain and humiliation I face day in and day out despite the fact that eunuchs never harm others and only pray for the well being of society,” Sonam said in the petition on behalf of at least 15 community members.

Sonam’s counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi argued that the country did not have a record of eunuch population and the election commission never bothered to decide what gender should be attributed to them. He sought a direction to “protect their dignity as human beings as envisaged in the Constitution”. “Ninety-nine per cent of eunuchs are either illiterate or semi-literate, having no source of income, except begging. Over 1.5 million eunuchs are physically challenged and neglected by their families and are bound to die a bitter death,” the petition said.