Transgenders Entitled To Special Quota For Third Gender: Madras High Court
NDTV
Tamilselvi had moved the high court seeking a direction to the authorities to quash the prospectus issued for the Post Basic (Nursing) Course and Post Basic Diploma in Psychiatry Nursing Course for the academic year 2022-2023, as illegal for not categorising transgenders under special category.
The Madras High Court has held without "hesitation" that transgenders are entitled to a special reservation for third gender viz., transgender category for admission to post basic (nursing) and post basic diploma in psychiatry nursing courses.
The court directed the Secretary, Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare department, Director of Medical Education (DME), Chennai, and Secretary (selection committee), DME, to treat the petitioner S Tamilselvi as third gender/ transgender and accordingly place her in a special category i.e. transgender category for admission to the course for the academic year 2022-23 for which the present merit list has been issued by the secretary, selection committee, only for female and male candidates.
Apart from Tamilselvi, if any other transgender candidate applied for the said course, a separate category of merit list shall be prepared by the secretary consisting of only transgenders candidates and based on the inter se merit among the transgender candidates, Justice R Suresh Kumar said.
"If more than one candidate is available, based on the inter se merit, admission shall be given to those transgender candidates. The needful, as indicated above, shall be immediately undertaken by the secretary, selection committee and accordingly the selection shall go on including the name of the petitioner under the special category i.e. transgender category," he said recently.
