Joyita Mondal Mahi is the first transgender judge of a Lok Adalat and a social worker from West Bengal, India.Joyita was born ‘Joyonto’ (male) in Kolkata, comes from a traditional Hindu household and suffered a lot of discrimination in her childhood because of her gender identity. She dropped out of school after class 10th, slept at bus stands and begged on streets.

She moved to Islampur in Uttar Dinajpur district and worked for the upliftment of the transgender community. In 2010, she was the first trans person from her district to get a voter ID.

On July 8, 2017, 29-year old Mondal became the first transgender judge of a Lok Adalat from West Bengal, India. Though her appointment as a judge in Islampur Lok Adalat gave hope to the transgender community, Joyita Mondal feels she will consider her mission complete only when she sees transgenders employed in government and private sectors in regular jobs. She further says “A handful of us becoming judges, principals won’t bring a change. Till transgenders are working as sexworkers and begging in trains, individual successes mean nothing. Even if they don’t have many qualifications, they can at least be appointed as Group D staff where physical labour is involved. I have not come from Kolkata to Uttar Dinajpur for just my fight. I cannot ignore my community because of whom I have reached this position. I would request the government to first start government jobs for transgenders so that our community gets dignified work. I consider work of coolies, peons or other Group D work as dignified”.

Despite all the feats she has achieved now, the fact that she had to sleep at a bus stand as hotels did not allow her to take rooms is still a sour memory. This court is only minutes away from the bus stand she used to spend nights at just a few years ago.

But after working for transgender rights organizations she said “she was inspired to complete a law degree – to be able to fight for anyone facing social discrimination. In the past, people almost treated me as an untouchable and even passed abusive comments,’ she said. ‘But now people even come to me often requesting me to mediate in family disputes.’ Joyita continues to fight against widespread social bias and discrimination against transgender people in education and employment across India. In 2014, India’s Supreme Court recognized transgender people as a third gender, in a landmark ruling. It ordered the government to provide transgender people with quotas in jobs and education in line with other minorities. But, for Joyita, the battle is far from over.

Though her appointment as the judge gave hope to the transgender community, Joyita Mondal feels she will consider her mission complete only when she sees transgenders employed in government and private sectors in regular jobs. She further says “A handful of us becoming judges, principals won’t bring a change. Till transgenders are working as sexworkers and begging in trains, individual successes mean nothing. Even if they don’t have many qualifications, they can at least be appointed as Group D staff where physical labour is involved. I have not come from Kolkata to Uttar Dinajpur for just my fight. I cannot ignore my community because of whom I have reached this position. I would request the government to first start government jobs for transgenders so that our community gets dignified work. I consider work of coolies, peons or other Group D work as dignified”.

Recalling her struggle, Joyita Mondal says, “Initially, no hotel would let me stay and I had to sleep in bus shelters in Islampur. Slowly, I made a few friends with local transgenders and formed ‘Dinajpur Notun Alo’ on January 10, 2010. A year after registration in 2011, I got my first big break in a foreign project for legal aid to transgenders of the region in 2012. I gave legal aid to 200 transgenders during that project and was appreciated by the government. Since then, we built an old-age shelter in 2015 and got voter ID cards made for transgenders in two brothels in Islampur.” Joyita Mondal says that she would never quit like Manabi Bandopadhyay, the country’s first transgender college principal, who resigned alleging harassment at Krishnanagar Women’s College in Nadia district.

Speaking against symbolism, she said: “All governments want to appoint one person from a weaker community to a top post so that voices of others of the community are muffled. I would not let that happen. Even if 2-3% of transgenders in Islampur get dignified jobs, I would consider my appointment as beneficial for my community. They would not have to work as sex workers for Rs 150-200 and can have a good sleep at night. Even as I move around in airconditioned cars now, my people beg at day and work as sex workers at night.”

Mondal says she has disposed off four cases related to the settlement of bank loans defaults and tenant-landlord disputes. Further, she added that “Usually, Lok Adalats have three-judge benches. My fellow judges have always been extremely cooperative and treat me with respect,” she added. But the awkward and searching glances have not vanished completely. “Sometimes I can feel negative vibes from those whose cases I adjudicate — strange gaze, or body language. However, I must add that none of them has insulted me. At times, a few are just surprised to see a transgender on the chair of the judge,” Mondal said.