Her Journey was not smooth like the car ride she did the other day. When Joyita Mondal drove into Uttar Dinajpur’s Islampur court premises in a white car bearing a red plaque stating ‘judgeship on duty’, it was an occasion for an entire community she belongs that has long found itself on the margins to celebrate.
Being a transgender forced to beg for a living to a social worker chosen to be on the bench for a National Lok Adalat, it was a new beginning for Joyita which signalled a triumph over circumstances.
“This is the first time that a person from the community has got this opportunity. It is not just about empowerment. This is about getting into the system and getting the authority to make a difference,” said Abheena Aher, founder of Trans Welfare Equity and Empowerment Trust.
Life came full circle for Joyita as the court was barely 5 minutes from the bus stand where she had slept in 2010 after hotels turned her away because of her gender. She resolved then to stand up for others like her.
Her friends from the transgender community and those who know her as a social worker recall her work as the founder secretary of Dinajpur Notun Aalo Society and flooded her Facebook timeline with congratulatory messages. It is evident that her presence on the National Lok Adalat bench along with an additional sessions judge and an advocate has given hope to many.
She was “elated” and saw her appointment as a milestone that would send out a strong message against “gender bias” against transgender persons.
Joyita has been working on a range of issues related to the transgender community since 2011. At the Lok Adalat, she needed to look at bank loan-related cases.
Her presence was a surprise as he arrived at the courtroom in an official vehicle with a security escort.
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