Deploring the “inadequate” concessions granted so far to members of the transgender community in public employment, the Madras High Court has made a “strong” recommendation to the State government to provide a specified percentage of special reservation for the transgender candidates in future recruitments apart from extending other privileges and relaxations.
Justice M.S. Ramesh took note that the neighbouring Karnataka had become the first State in the country to provide 1% reservation for the transgender community in public employment. “If that be so, I do not find any impediment for the Government of Tamil Nadu to adopt a specified percentage of reservation for the transgender of this State also,” he wrote.
The judge made the recommendations while allowing a batch of eight writ petitions filed by transgender candidates who were treated on a par with male candidates and not provided with any kind of special reservation or concession in the recruitments for the post of Grade-II police constables between 2017 and 2020 merely because they had identified themselves as male.
