Mumbai: As much as the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, is a bolt out of the blue for self-identified transgender, gender-fluid and non-binary individuals, in many cases the hit is also being felt by the parents, who have held the hands of their children as they transitioned. It’s a community of mostly senior citizens who have rallied opinion and mobilised resources through a support group to create a more inclusive environment.“At first, a lot of unlearning had to be done,” said Shilpi Rastogi, a mother who has been supporting her transgender kid’s journey for the past 12 years. Then, during Covid lockdown, Rastogi came across the parent support group called “Sweekar: The Rainbow Parent”, where, according to Rastogi, “We are connected with parents of queer children of all age groups.” The group’s oldest member is Vidya, 80, who is also one of its founders. She says her sensitisation began in the 90’s, when she got to know that her son was queer.Sridhar Rangayan, filmmaker and co-founder of “Sweekar”, said the idea of a support group stemmed from a screening of his film “Evening Shadows” at the KASHISH Pride Film Festival in 2017. “As part of the outreach campaign, we wanted to reach out to parents of LGBTQ+ children to ensure that they are aware of how to accept their child, and we gave away 10% of the crowdfunded money for the film to start this support group,” said Rangayan. According to Sweekar’s human resource manager, Aruna Desai, the group now has around 600 members. “At the start, we had parents of kids over 25 years, but now, there has been a shift. Parents of children who are as young as eight have joined.”Among the earliest members was transgender rights activist Harish Iyer’s mother, Padma. Since 2010, she has been actively engaging in queer sensitisation dialogues. According to Padma, “Sweekar is a group by the parents, for the parents… There are some things you’d want to discuss with other parents and not your kid.” But now with a bill that makes scrutiny and certification for gender mandatory and takes away the person’s right to self-identification, parents are worried for their children’s safety and future. Vibha Krishnamurthy, 59, says her daughter came out as a transwoman when she was 20 and in college. “She had been experiencing gender dysphoria, and she came out seven years ago. But now, just by virtue of her identity, she is vulnerable. That is scary and regressive.” Krishnamurthy came across “Sweekar” around three years ago through a social media platform and has depended on it for support. “It has been a time of great uncertainty and turmoil. For parents whose kids are still transitioning, it is terrifying to think of what the future holds. The big question is, will they get gender-affirming treatment? What if the endocrinologist stops hormone medication? There is so much ambiguity in how the amendment is worded,” says Krishnamurthy. As the parents seek answers to such questions, Dr Sanjay Sharma, CEO and managing director of the Association for Transgender Health in India (ATHI), seeks to provide a legal basis to their fight. He said, “The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems-11 (ICD-11) has put out a definition for gender that includes new changes that reflect the ‘modern understanding of sexual health and gender identity’. Dr Sharma says, “Anybody who has gender incongruence and has a desire to transition can, as the WHO states that gender-affirming care is the human right of a person.” Dr Sharma questions the justification of the medical board mentioned in the amendment. Dr Sharma urges the govt to implement a “National Programme for Transgender Healthcare” to set a uniform system in place for both carers as well as queer individuals to ensure that care won’t stop for self-identified transgender individuals.

Mumbai: Addressing the absence of formal statements from industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita Ambani in the 2021 Antilia bomb scare case chargesheet, NIA said legally, some witness statements aren’t mandatory if the relevant facts can be established through other evidence. In its reply opposing dismissed police officer Sachin Waze’s discharge plea, it said it still “reserves its right” to call the Ambanis as witnesses later.“…there is no lack of evidence, or in other words, prejudice caused to the case of the prosecution and even to the accused, for not recording the statements of persons concerned of the Ambani family as there is sufficient evidence on record which would conclusively establish incriminating facts beyond doubt about the commission of terrorist acts by [Waze] and his co-accused,” the agency said. It said statements from the family’s security personnel already provided a conclusive link. On Feb 25, 2021, an SUV with explosives was found near Antilia, the Ambanis’ home in south Mumbai. The prosecution has said Mansukh Hiran, the vehicle owner, was murdered that March 4 because he knew of the conspiracy. Ten accused, including Waze and other dismissed police officers Sunil Mane and Pradeep Sharma, have been named. Waze, arrested that same month, moved the special NIA court this March seeking discharge, claiming the case was built on a “comedy of errors” and “farcical” investigative rituals. Defending the Union home ministry’s March 8, 2021, order invoking NIA Act in the case, the agency said the ministry exercised proper “application of mind” and adhered to the Act’s intent. “As evident from the threat note placed along with the explosives in the vehicle planted by Sachin Waze… himself on Carmichael Road, [it] was an act of terror on the part of [Waze],” said NIA. It said the intention was to terrorise wealthy individuals and extort money by creating fear. It said there is ample evidence that prima facie establishes that Waze was directly found involved in leaving the vehicle along with the threat note near Antilia. NIA said the phrase “agle baar connect hokar aayega” in the note showed Waze’s intention to continue terrorist acts and re-establish himself as a “super cop by staging a fake encounter”. Rejecting Waze’s argument that Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) charges were inapplicable, NIA said the probe showed the accused committed heinous and serious offences attracting UAPA provisions. It said no sanction under Section 197 of Criminal Procedure Code was required to prosecute Waze because the acts were not committed in discharge of official duty.

Mumbai: A section of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) dealers is supplying 19kg commercial cylinders to city hotels and restaurants only on the condition that they first apply for a piped natural gas (PNG) connection and show proof of the application before delivery, industry sources said on Monday.The move, being described as a temporary arrangement, is aimed at shifting commercial establishments to PNG wherever pipeline connectivity is feasible. Until the piped connection is provided at hotel premises, dealers will continue to supply the blue commercial cylinders, sources said.AHAR president Vijay Shetty confirmed that delivery staff from some gas agencies are insisting on proof of PNG application before handing over commercial LPG cylinders “in select areas” of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and parts of Maharashtra. It is only upon showing the copy of application the 19kg blue cylinders are being handed over to the hoteliers in select areas, he added.“Why are the agencies insisting on having an application made by hotels only in certain pockets or areas of MMR or Maharashtra? Ideally it should be implemented uniformly across MMR or state so that all the hotels get a chance to switch over to commercial PNG in larger numbers and become cylinder free,” Shetty told TOI.An official from Mahanagar Gas Ltd (MGL) said applications are being accepted from all hotels and restaurants located “close to existing pipeline networks”. According to an official, most large and five-star hotels are already fully connected to piped gas. The official said expansion had been delayed for years in areas such as south Mumbai because permissions for road digging were difficult to obtain and charges were high.“With fresh support from the Centre and the Maharashtra government, including deemed permissions for pipeline-laying applications submitted earlier, the company is now accelerating work,” the MGL official said.Officials said there is little point in taking up connections where the nearest gas line is too far, but resources are being diverted to maximise the number of new commercial connections. Another official said the government mandate is to provide gas access across Mumbai. Hotels and restaurants can apply either online or by visiting the office.A senior government official said no dry-outs had been reported at LPG distributorships. Commercial LPG allocation, which had earlier been restored to 20%, has now been raised to 70% of pre-crisis levels. Officials also said refineries are operating at high capacity, domestic LPG production has been stepped up, and adequate fuel stocks are being maintained. 5kg cylinders given to migrant workers in cityLPG dealers across Mumbai have begun giving 5kg LPG cylinders for migrant workers after checking their photo IDs and getting a declaration signed by them. A dealer in eastern suburbs said that on an average 20-30 such cylinders have been given in the past two days. Nationally, sources said, more than 88,000 cylinders weighing 5kg have been given to migrant workers in the past two days.

NEW DELHI: A live-in couple staying in a household in a “stable union” shall be treated as a married couple in Census 2027.In an FAQ reply listed on the census self-enumeration portal – to whether a couple in a live-in relationship will be considered a married couple during self-enumeration or the enumerator’s visit to the household – the authorities state: “If they (the couple) consider their relationship as a stable union, they should be treated as a married couple”.Though a clarification on the issue has been publicly offered the first time, possibly as respondents will be self-enumerating, an official involved in previous census exercises said unmarried couples living together and declaring themselves as “married” to the enumerator were recorded as such even in the past.