Lok Adalat

Social Work

Mumbai District Legal Services Authority

Kinnar community

transgender community

Nationalist Congress Party

BMC elections

From left: Sonali Chaukekar, Anita Wadekar, Salma Khan and Priya Patil

It’s a chance for them to be part of mainstream.For the first time in Maharashtra, four transgenders have become panellists in Lok Adalats across the city, where they deal with bank default and criminal cases. They help the judges with documentation and guide complainants through theprocess. Salma Khan, 39, Priya Patil, 31, Anita Wadekar, 33, and Sonali Chaukekar, 33, are thrilled to be part of the system of dispensing justice.Lok Adalat, an alternative dispute resolution mechanism, was created to reduce the work load of general courts. It has been given statutory status under the Legal Services Authority Act. It has one judge, one social worker and one lawyer as panellists.Salma, who completed her Masters in, was earlier attached to NGOs and social organisations. After the Supreme Court judgement in 2014 recognising transgenders as the third gender, she came across Nitin Game, secretary ofunder which Lok Adalats function, who encouraged her to take up the job. Game had trained all four of them so that they could be part of the mainstream through Lok Adalats.“I have been fighting for transgenders’ rights for a long time but working with the Lok Adalat has been a different experience as people have readily accepted me,” said Salma, who is now part of the Bandra Lok Adalat. She was the first transgender to get a chance to be a panellist in Lok Adalat in 2018.The work has given her a new identity and a sense of purpose. “In the past, society looked down upon theas acceptance level was very low. But I am happy that with dignified jobs like these, the perception about our community will change. I feel honoured when people ask for my help,” said Salma, who is part of Kinnar Maa, a social organisation for thePriya was in the news some time back for joining. She had contested in the lasttoo. She is working with Dindoshi Lok Adalat and mostly assists in cases related to MTNL disputes. “I feel empowered to be part of the judicial process. I also get to learn about various legal aspects while working with the Lok Adalat,” she said.Anita, who is pursuing a degree course, is part of the panel at Girgaum court. “I had never imagined I would be part of the panel one day. Now I feel so confident that I want to complete my education and do something different in life,” she said.Sonali is considered talented by her colleagues because of her academic track record. She has completed her Masters in Commerce and now applied for a PhD on social issues. “It feels great to be a figure of authority, especially when my signature is taken for paper work. Till now, I used to fight for my rights. But now I help many in getting justice. We are happy that at least in Lok Adalats we are not discriminated against. Yes, initially, people do get curious, but they eventually accept us,” she said.Game, who had inspired these transgenders to dream big, puts things in perspective. “Mumbai District Legal Services Authority wanted them to become part of the mainstream and decided to give them an opportunity through Lok Adalats. We selected 25 transgenders and trained them in legal proceedings last year. Now, four of them have been empanelled,” Game said.The next session of Lok Adalat is scheduled on Saturday in Bandra, Dindoshi and Girgaum.