Land of a Billion – S.2 Ep. 5: How Inheritance Laws Continue to Hinder Access to Property for Trans Persons

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How Inheritance Laws Continue to Hinder Access to Property for Trans Persons

This issue is of big importance since access to property plays a role in elevating the social standing of people.

The property rights of transgender persons, including their right to inheritance, have garnered little attention. Considering that ‘immovable property’ is the largest and most valuable asset for a significant population in India, access to property plays a vital role in elevating the social standing of persons.

This is of particular importance since transgender persons have low income, savings, and little to no access to housing. Inheritance, therefore, becomes an important channel for access to property.

Catch the following questions asked by our host at respective timestamps:
– 06.40: Why is this an important issue? And especially now?
– 10.50: What is the legal position of a transgender person under the Indian succession laws? Where does a transgender person fit under today’s succession laws in India?
– 17.08: Doesn’t the transgender person have the right to self identify himself as a man or woman? Or is it always left to the court to identify the transgender person as either male or female?
– 20.59: How could the courts really, you know, play this then do the courts support transgenders person’s rights in say, for example, in an inheritance suit?
– 27.05: Do you see other countries doing better? And if yes, which ones do you think do better on this?
– 32.30: If you had to pick one core challenge that India needs to focus on to secure land rights for a billion, what would that be?

 

Tune in to this episode as we speak with Karan Gulati, Research Fellow at National Institute of Public Finance and Policy to analyse the laws around inheritance rights of transgender persons and to know how these laws have evolved in India. We also bring voices from within the trans community to understand the many challenges that they face when trying to buy or rent a property.

What is ‘Land of a Billion’ About?

‘Land of a Billion’ brings you expert conversations about the most contentious of the holy roti-kapda-makaan trinity – the makaan over our heads, and the larger ecosystem that governs it. From administrative tussles to understanding the conflicts on ground, catch these fortnightly episodes every alternate Friday for a rundown on the latest charcha around land and property rights in India. In case you missed it, you can also catch up on Season 1 of this series here.

Hosted by Bhargavi Zaveri, a researcher interested in land and access to finance, Land of a Billion is a fortnightly podcast series produced in association with the Property Rights Research Consortium.

Don’t forget to catch the next episode, where we’ll speak with Neetu Vasanta, Managing Director and Partner BCG India and Shilpa Kumar, Partner, Omidyar Network India to look back on five years of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act and its contribution to India’s housing market.