NationalWednesday, 8 April 2026·https://testbook.com/current-affairs/08-april-2026-daily-current-affairs
Menaka Guruswamy takes oath as first openly queer MP in India’s Rajya Sabha
Menaka Guruswamy took oath to the Rajya Sabha on April 6, 2026, becoming India’s first openly queer Member of Parliament.
Key highlights
Direct fact
On April 6, 2026, senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy took oath as a Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal, becoming India’s first openly queer Member of Parliament.
Key specifics
- She was elected to the Rajya Sabha as a representative of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC).
- Rajya Sabha is established under Article 80 of the Constitution.
- Members of the Rajya Sabha serve a 6-year term, with one-third retiring every second year.
- Menaka Guruswamy was the lead lawyer in the 2018 Section 377 decriminalisation case.
- She was named in TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2019 along with Arundhati Katju.
Exam lens
Question type: polity and constitutional bodies, Rajya Sabha Article 80, 6-year term, Section 377, 2018 Navtej Singh Johar case. TNPSC one-liner: Which woman became India’s first openly queer MP in April 2026?