On Monday, Menaka Guruswamy, a prominent Senior Advocate, took her oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha representing the Trinamool Congress, making history as the first openly queer individual to serve in the Indian Parliament.<\/p>\n
The 51-year-old Guruswamy, known for her dedication to civil liberties, views her transition into politics as a natural progression in her career, which has been marked by her commitment to challenging established norms. In her first interview following her appointment as MP, she stated, \u201cMy life has revolved around interpreting and upholding constitutional principles. After the Supreme Court, the Parliament represents the next battleground for this fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guruswamy perceives the legislative body primarily as a forum for thoughtful discussion rather than a place for mere displays of power. She emphasizes that her main legislative focus will be on \u201cprotecting the Constitution\u201d and ensuring that new legislation is not hastily enacted without proper examination. \u201cLegislation must undergo careful scrutiny by parliamentary committees and involve consultation with stakeholders. A careless Parliament leads to poor laws, and a weakening Parliament signals a declining democracy,\u201d she remarked.<\/p>\n
In this context, Guruswamy underscores the significance of the Opposition’s role in evaluating the constitutional integrity of proposed laws, expressing her belief that the Trinamool Congress aligns with these principles.<\/p>\n
Recently, she has demonstrated her commitment to her party\u2019s objectives. Earlier this year, while advocating for the TMC in legal matters related to the Enforcement Directorate\u2019s actions against I-PAC, a consultancy working with the TMC, she notably protested when Additional Solicitor General S V Raju referred to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee informally.<\/p>\n
Last month, Guruswamy joined Banerjee at a TMC-led protest in Kolkata against the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise aimed at updating electoral rolls in West Bengal. She also represented the Bengal government in the Supreme Court concerning the SIR, criticizing the \u201chaste\u201d of the initiative, which she believes reflects the current Union government’s operational style.<\/p>\n
In addition to broader constitutional matters, Guruswamy aims to address issues affecting ordinary citizens as an MP. \u201cWhat initiatives does the government have for job creation for young individuals in their 20s?\u201d she questioned.<\/p>\n
Guruswamy has built a strong reputation in constitutional, commercial, and white-collar criminal law. In 2019, she was recognized as a Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
Throughout her career, she has championed various causes, including advocating for the Right to Education Act and successfully challenging the Salwa Judum militia, which was controversially backed by the Chhattisgarh government to combat Maoist insurgents. Her legal efforts contributed to the disarmament of tribal youths involved in the militia.<\/p>\n
In 2012, the Supreme Court appointed her as an amicus curiae in a critical case concerning over 1,500 alleged extrajudicial killings by security forces in Manipur, which led to a Court-ordered investigation by the CBI. In 2024, she effectively defended the constitutional legitimacy of the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004.<\/p>\n
Last month, she achieved a significant victory in the Supreme Court, securing permanent commissions and pensions for qualified women officers in the armed forces. She is also set to argue for women\u2019s access to the Sabarimala temple before the Constitution Bench currently reviewing the issue.<\/p>\n
Guruswamy is particularly noted for her influential role in the fight against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a law from the colonial era that criminalized consensual same-sex relationships. In 2018, she was part of the legal team that successfully urged the Supreme Court to annul this law. Following the landmark ruling, she and her co-counsel, Arundhati Katju, publicly revealed their romantic relationship. In 2023, she also represented clients advocating for marriage equality.<\/p>\n
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On Monday, Menaka Guruswamy, a prominent Senior Advocate, took her oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha representing the Trinamool Congress, making history as the first openly queer individual to serve in the Indian Parliament. The 51-year-old Guruswamy, known for her dedication to civil liberties, views her transition into politics as a natural progression […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4867,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[40,622],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-india","category-in-india"],"yoast_head":"\n