Assam and NE get first transgender judge
Guwahati, July 14 (IBNS): After West Bengal and Maharashtra, Assam and the entire North East got its first transgender judge to mediate cases in the National Lok Adalat that was held on the on the premises of the Kamrup (Metro) district and sessions judge in Guwahati on Saturday.
The Kamrup (Metro) District Legal Service Authority (DLSA) has appointed 26-year-old Swati Bidhan Baruah among 20 member judges to mediate cases in the National Lok Adalat.
Earlier in July 2017, West Bengal appointed Joyita Mondal as the country’s first transgender judge as a member judge during a National Lol Adalat at Islampur in North Dinajpur district, while, Maharashtra appointed Vidya Kamble as a member judge in a Lok Adalat in Nagpur in February last.
Swati Bidhan Baruah has been acted as mediator in pre-litigation cases related to finance companies and the bench has been presided over by a retired district and sessions judge H Ali Hazarika.
On Saturday, Swati Bidhan Baruah had disposed many cases related to finance companies in the court no 25.
Baruah, who is a transgender activist fighting for long for the rights of transgender community, had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Gauhati High Court last year to make a separate a policy for welfare of the third gender.
In May this year, the Gauhati High Court had directed the Assam government to implement the Supreme Court verdict within three months.
Swati Bidhan Baruah said that,it is one of most appreciated step taken by the Assam Legal Service Authority.
“In past 3 and half years, Assam government was silent. But when I moved to the Gauhati High Court and filed a PIL for proper implementation of the Supreme Court judgement, the Gauhati High Court in this year had passed a landmark judgement for necessary implementation of NALSA judgement within the period of three months,” Swati Bidhan Baruah said.
She further said: "There are lots of discrimination in our society and to end up the discrimination, these are some steps."
“In 2012, I got a landmark judgement from the Bombay High Court and NALSA judgement came in 2014. After that, I got admission in the Gauhati University on transgender quota. Gauhati University became the first university in the entire Northeast to make this transgender quota and after that, I was appointed as a Lok Adalat judge,” Baruah said.
Baruah had moved the Bombay High Court in 2012 after her decision to undergo a sex reassignment surgery was opposed by her family.
On the other, Nayanjit Konwar, Advocate of the Gauhati High Court said that, today’s National Lok Adalat held to dispose many pending cases.
“Swati Bidhan Baruah appointed as the first transgender judge of Assam and she had disposed many cases,” Konwar said.
(By Hemanta Kumar Nath, Guwahati)
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