12-07-11. Gujarat High Court at Sola in Ahmedabad. Photo by Kevin Antao.
Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court has directed Gujarat Police Recruitment Board to keep one unarmed police constable post vacant for a transgender candidate who has sought a separate category for the third gender in the recruitment process.
Considering the same, pending the present petition, the respondent no.2 (recruitment board) shall keep one post vacant in the recruitment process. Further hearing has been scheduled for Jan 5, 2027.
After the preliminary hearing, Justice Aniruddha Mayee said, “As per the direction passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, they are to be treated as ‘third gender’ for the purpose of safeguarding their rights under Part III of our Constitution and the laws made by the Parliament and the state legislature. The state govt have been directed to take steps to treat them as socially and educationally backward classes of citizens and extend all kinds of reservation in cases of admission in educational institutions and for public appointments. ” HC further said, “Prima facie, it appears that in the present recruitment process, transgender have not been categorised as third gender and no special category or criteria for recruitment has been laid down for them. Her advocate, Hannan Qureshi, cited a Supreme Court judgment in a case filed by the National Legal Services Authority, which directed governments to recognise and create a third gender category.