The Delhi High Court has sought responses from the Centre and the state government on a plea that raised concerns about the exclusion of transgender individuals from various educational and public employment opportunities in the national capital. The plea, filed by a transwoman, highlights the discriminatory treatment faced by transgender individuals in public employment and educational institutions.
The petition drew specific attention to recruitment notifications issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which, according to the petitioner, only advertised vacancies for either female or male candidates, excluding transgender persons. It also emphasises the importance of introducing horizontal reservations and relaxations for the transgender community in employment and admission opportunities, as per a report by IANS.
Among its requests, the petition urges the court to ensure that reservation is extended to all transgender persons in public appointments in Delhi. It also calls for the Central and Delhi governments to formulate a recruitment policy for transgender persons and grant qualification and age-based relaxations in such posts.
The petitioner, who had previously achieved high rankings in entrance exams for a postgraduate course at the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, but narrowly missed securing a seat, urged the court to reconsider her application in light of the Supreme Court's NALSA judgement. Her plea contends that the discriminatory practices of institutions like ICMR, AIIMS, and the Delhi Department of Welfare, have left her unemployed despite her qualifications.
Additionally, the petitioner accuses the Delhi government of failing to implement reformative and affirmative measures for the welfare of transgender persons in education and public employment, in violation of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020, as per IANS.
