This editorial traces a judicial turning point: recent Supreme Court and High Court decisions that press the state to convert legal recognition into real-world protections for transgender people. It explains the limits of the 2019 Act, illustrates everyday consequences through concrete examples, and offers practical, institution-level steps to make dignity more than a promise.

When juveniles commit violent crimes, society often demands swift punishment—but what if the real solution lies in deeper reform? The Gulabi Bagh incident compels us to rethink juvenile justice, not just as a legal framework, but as a mirror of the socio-economic failures we must urgently address.

Without structural reform, India’s environmental laws will continue to be band-aids on systemic wounds.