The Government of Tamil Nadu has notified a law forbidding police officers from harassing LGBTQIA+ people and anyone working for their welfare, in response to a Madras High Court judgement issued last year.
A proviso has been added to the Tamil Nadu Subordinate Police Officers' Conduct Rules, which reads:
"24-C. No police officer shall indulge in any act of harassment of any person belonging to the LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual) + Community and the persons working for the welfare of the said community."
The new rule clarifies that harassment does not include the police's authority to investigate per the law's procedures.
The Madras High Court stated in a judgement issued in August of last year that ongoing measures are required to combat deeply ingrained prejudice against LGBTQIA+ people.
Justice N Anand Venkatesh praised the work made in these areas but stressed that the focus should be maintained.
"We are dealing with a situation where the deeply embedded prejudice has to be effaced and therefore, it requires continuous effort on the part of all the stakeholders," he observed.
He had directed the State administration, specifically about police harassment of members of the community, to:
"A specific clause is to be added in the Police Conduct Rules specifically providing that any harassment by the police, to the persons belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community and/or to the activists and NGO workers, will be treated as misconduct and will entail a punishment for such misconduct."