The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that rehabilitation of sex workers should be gender-neutral so as to include male sex workers and transgenders.

A bench of justices Altamas Kabir and Gyan Sudha Misra, while making the oral observations, directed the states to file their responses on the steps taken for rehabilitation of sex workers.

It also directed the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) to ensure that free condoms are supplied to areas inhabited by sex workers.

The bench asked the Chief Secretary of NCT government and Secretary of the Social Welfare Department to be present at the next hearing to assist the court on the issue as it wanted Delhi to take the lead in launching the rehabilitation project which could be a role model for other states.

The Apex Court had held that right to live with dignity is a Constitutional right and directed the Centre, states and union territories to carry out a comprehensive survey to determine the number of sex workers, willing rehabilitation.

The bench passed the order while examining the sixth and seventh report submitted by a committee appointed by the apex court last year for evolving rehabilitation measures for sex workers.National News Content