A Bengaluru court has granted divorce to Akkai Padmashali, the first transwoman in Karnataka to register her marriage under the Special Marriage Act. She was also awarded sole custody of their child.

She married Vasudev V, a cisgender man, on January 20, 2017, and the marriage was registered a year later, on January 23, 2018. The couple legally adopted a child the following year. Despite the legal recognition of their union, Akkai's fight extended beyond her own marriage. She was one of the petitioners in the Supreme Court in the marriage equality case last year. She is a vocal advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, pushing for marriage equality and broader societal acceptance of LGBTQIA+ persons.

Speaking to TNM, Akkai said that the right to divorce and a life without violence is as important as the right to marriage. “Today is the happiest day of my life, stepping out of this institution of family. The right to marriage and the right to divorce are essential demands, and the orthodox patriarchal notion of male dominance in a marriage still poses challenges, especially when it involves a transgender woman,” Akkai said.

“Having experienced so much violence within marriage, I will now campaign against any form of violence in the institution of family, regardless of gender, sexuality, class, or caste. It doesn't matter whether you've been married for a day or for years,” she said.

Akkai leads Ondede, an organisation that works for the rights of sexual minorities in Karnataka.