Aishwarya Rathore-
The Karnataka Government informed the Karnataka High Court that it has declared a one percent horizontal reservation for transgender people in government jobs, making it the first state in India to do so.
The Division Bench was informed that Amendments have been made to the Karnataka Civil Services General Recruitment (Rules), 1977 for effecting the reservation.
The Court ordered, “We have perused the amendments made by the State government to Karnataka Civil Services General Recruitment (Rules), 1977 by the Karnataka Civil Services Recruitment Amendment (Rules), 2021 by incorporating sub rule 1 (D) in rule 9. Clause 1 D provides for one percent horizontal reservation for transgenders.”
The Court was hearing a plea seeking horizontal reservation for transgender persons in public employment.
The counsel for the Central Government further informed the Division Bench that the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) had filed a report recommending reservation for transgender people and that the State Government had been given orders in this regard.
Senior Advocate Jayna Kothari, who represented the intervenor, Jeeva, a transgender association, told the Court that an application would be filed to issue notices to other public authorities in the State so that directions could be issued to provide transgender people with employment reservations.
As the hearing came to a close, Kothari said,
“This is the first State in the country which implemented and provided reservations to transgenders.”
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