In a first for Jharkhand, a transgender person became a member of a National Lok Adalat bench, organised by the District Legal Services Authority at the Ranchi civil court on Saturday.

Amruta Alpesh Soni, 38, from Sholapur district in Maharashtra, was part of the National Lok Adalat’s bench number 19, which also comprised judicial magistrate, Ranchi, Manish Kumar Singh, and Nityanand Singh, panel lawyer (DLSA Ranchi).

Lok Adalat is a forum where the disputes/cases pending in the court of law or at pre-litigation stage are settled/compromised amicably. The Lok Adalat has been given statutory status under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.

Soni completed graduation from Jamia Millia Islamia University in 2007 and did an MBA in marketing from Symbiosis Institute in Pune. Soni has been associated with work among transgenders and sex workers and is currently director (health), Jharkhand, with TRY, an NGO.

“It was a very good experience. I am hopeful that DLSAs in other districts would also follow suit and include not only educated transgender but also sex workers in the panel as this is one of the best way to bring them in the mainstream of society,” said Soni, a former sex worker who was diagnosed as HIV-positive.

Soni was associated with project Vihaan which provided help to HIV-infected persons in Chhattisgarh before coming in Ranchi in May 2020 after joining TRY, which runs hospitals with the help of the Jharkhand tribal welfare department and also works for female sex workers.

Soni, who was the chief guest of the inaugural function, said she has been working for transgenders and sex workers who are looked down upon in society and such steps would go a long way in making people look up to them with respect.

“I would also like that other district legal services authorities not only select transgender and sex workers in the (Lok Adalat) panel but also set up a separate bench to try cases pertaining to their problems,” said Soni.

DLSA Ranchi secretary Abhishek Kumar said that the decision to include a transgender in the National Lok Adalat bench in the state was based on the directive given by the Jharkhand Legal Services Authority executive chairman Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh.

“A direction was given to take up measures to bring transgenders and sex workers into the social mainstream and Soni was selected based on her experience and work. This is the first instance in Jharkhand. The decision is also aimed at ensuring that transgenders, sex workers and those staying in urban slums come forward with their problems to the DLSA. We are happy at her work at the National Lok Adalat,” said Kumar.

During the daylong Lok Adalat held in virtual mode, a total of 47 benches, including 29 for judicial officers and 18 for administrative officials, were conducted. A total of 2,471 cases were disposed of and an amount of Rs 118,33,100 awarded by the Lok Adalat bench in Ranchi.