By Sukriti Singh
Why should transgenders be denied the equal right to appear for Civil Services Preliminary (CSP) examination, the Delhi High Court asked?
The Delhi High Court came up with this observation in response to a Public Interest Litigation seeking change in the online form for the exam conducted by UPSC. The PIL also sought to make the transgenders eligible to appear for Civil Services Preliminary (CSP) examination scheduled on August 23.
Why the transgenders are not eligible for the exam when the Supreme Court has declared them as a third gender?
“Do you want to disqualify the transgenders straight away?” a Division bench of justices Mukta Gupta and P S Teji said while issuing notices to Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) and Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
The Delhi High Court judges cited the Supreme Court judgment of April 15, 2014 National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India which recognized transgender as the “third gender” and gave them the status of OBCs.
In the landmark judgement the SC had specifically asked the Centre to treat transgender as socially and economically backward and allowed admission of transgenders in educational institutions and employment on the basis that they belonged to the third gender category.
Both UPSC and DoPT have been asked to file their reply, and the matter has been listed for hearing on June 17. The last date of receipt of the Civil Services Preliminary Exam application form is June 19.
Advocate Jamshed Ansari filed the PIL.
“It would benefit the transgender community who are socially excluded from public employment and are suffering from social backwardness in the society” he contended in the petition.