SI appointment: High Court upholds KAT order to consider application of transgender category

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has upheld the Kerala Administrative Tribunal's (KAT) order to temporarily consider the application of a transgender person for the post of Kerala Armed Police Battalion SI. A division bench comprising Justice SV Bhatti and Justice Basant Balaji gave the verdict dismissing the plea filed by PSC against the interim order of KAT.

It was on the petition filed by Mulanthuruthy native Arjun Geetha petition, who belongs to the transmen category, that the KAT directed to consider the application of this category provisionally and to produce the documents related to the appointment. However, the PSC approached the High Court against this. The PSC contended that the post of SI in the Armed Police Battalion was for men only.

Idukki District Collector had issued a certificate that Arjun Geetha belongs to the transmen category. Based on this, he applied for the male-only post. However, there was no column in the application to record information related to fitness for this category. Following this, Arjun Geetha approached KAT and obtained an interim order. The PSC argued that the KAT's order was illegal. However, the High Court accepted Arjun Geetha's argument that according to the Protection of Rights of Transgenders Act, their employment rights should not be denied. The High Court held that denying an opportunity to a candidate belonging to the transmen category to apply for a post reserved for men is against the Protection of Rights of Transgenders Act.