Transperson moves court seeking age relaxation in police recruitment

Justice V Parthiban before whom the plea came up for hearing on Friday ordered notice to the Chairman, TNUSRB, Secretary, Department of Social Welfare and Secretary, Department ofLabour and Employment returnable by June 24.

Deepika of Aminjikarai submitted that she was identified as a transgender from a young age and faced harassment and humiliation both within the family and others. While so, on March 6, 2019, TNUSRB called for applications for the post of Grade II, Police Constable (AR) to fill 2,465 vacancies from women and transgender applicants. But since being part of the denotified community, the age limit applicable to her was 26 years while her present age is 27 since she was born prior to July 1, 1992 and hence was unable to upload her application online.

Further submitting that the upper age limit prescribed for other categories of applicants such as SC/ST persons is 29 years, for destitute widows it is 35 years and for ex-service personnel it is 45 years, she said it was unfair that no separate age relaxation of any kind has beenprovided to transgender persons as they have simply been grouped under Most Backward Classes (MBC) category.

Also, noting that the notification failed to consider that transgender persons are a socially and educationally backward class who have compromised access to education and employment opportunities, the plea further pointed out that the notification has not provided reasons for providing such a strict upper age limit for transgender persons when categories of applicants like SC/ST persons, destitute widows and ex-servicemen have been provided relaxations in the upper age limit.

Based on this, she sought the court to allow her and other transgenders to take the written examination though the last date for filing online applications had lapsed.