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Allahabad High Court Rules Transgender Community Has No Legal Right To Demand Traditional 'Badhai'
The Allahabad High Court, Lucknow bench, dismissed a writ petition by Rekha Devi seeking an exclusive zone to collect 'neg' money. It held that such demands have no legal sanction and could constitute extortion, potentially attracting penalties under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and that the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 does not confer such a right.
Why It Matters
The ruling clarifies that customary monetary demands within the transgender community lack legal backing and may be prosecutable as extortion, reinforcing statutory protections and highlighting limits of recognized rights under national law.
Timeline
1 Event
High Court dismisses writ petition seeking exclusive territory for collecting 'neg'
April 28, 2026
The Allahabad High Court, Lucknow bench, on Tuesday dismissed a writ petition filed by Rekha Devi, a transgender person from Gonda district, who had sought to demarcate an exclusive zone for collecting the traditional money known as 'neg' or 'badhai' from Kati Ka Pul in Jarwal town to Ghaghra Ghat and up to Saryu Bridge in Colonelganj. The court held that such a levy has no legal sanction and that extraction of money from individuals cannot be permitted unless authorized by law. It noted that the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 does not confer such a right, and that granting it could encourage illegal extortion and attract penalties under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.