After the BAR Association appoints their first transgender advocate, now a state has welcomed a transgender judge to their midst.
The court in Guwahati has got the first transgender judge of Assam. Swati Bidhan Baruah has been appointed as a judge to mediate cases in Lok Adalat, becoming the first transgender judge in Assam judiciary.
“There’s a lot of discrimination prevailing in society and steps like these will set landmark to accept transgenders as part of society. “My appointment as a judge in the lok adalat is a very positive message for the society and will help create awareness on discrimination against transgenders,” Baruah told the reporters.
READ ALSO: Bar Council gets its first transgender lawyer
“The capacity and capability of transgenders must be recognized and they must be provided with ample opportunities to ensure that they can lead a dignified life. I hope that I am able to maintain the principle of natural justice as a judge as lok adalats deal with settlement outside the court through arbitration, conciliation, and mediation,” she had said.
Baruah is a part of a group of 20 judges who were deputed to mediate Lok Adalat cases.
Baruah has become the third transgender judge in India. with two others in West Bengal and Maharashtra judiciaries.
Joyita Mondal of West Bengal is India’s first transgender judge. She had achieved the feat last year. The next transgender to be appointed as a judge was Vidya Kamble of Maharashtra. She was appointed as a member judge in a Lok Adalat in Nagpur in February this year.
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