Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Sept 12: High Court today directed the Government of J&K and Ladakh UTs to inform the court about the steps taken for granting admission to transgenders in Schools, Colleges and Universities and place the sample of admission form before the court.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Puneet Gupta while castigating the authorities for not placing the reports about the issue directed the Government of Ladakh to place before it the steps taken by Schools and Colleges and Universities as also the copies of the sample admission form before the court.
“The School Education Department of the UT of J&K has been directed to place before us the compliance of the directions made in the communication dated 6.12.2019 which has been written by the Directors of School Education Department Kashmir & Jammu. They were directed to obtain report samples and place them on record before the next. This has not been complied with”, DB recorded.
Court also said that a similar direction was issued with regard to the Higher Education Department of J&K which are required to be filed. The same has not been done. “Let the same be filed before the next date of hearing”, DB directed.
The petitioner has been directed to verify the status of the working of the steps taken by the authorities and asked him to verify the position and inform the court on next date.
Commissioner Secretary to Government, Higher Education, Union Territory of Ladakh in his report submitted that as per socio-economic caste census 2011, there are only six transgenders in the UT and 4 are in Leh and 2 in Kargil. He submits that UT is keen to upgrade its data base.
The UT has sought time till completion of the census 2020-21 before undertaking steps in this regard. “In our view the issue requires to be examined and steps taken immediately. The UT of Ladakh shall ensure that provisions are made available so that transgender get inclusive benefits in all Government schemes”, DB directed.
It is reported that School Education Department of Ladakh UT has issued directions to the Director School Education, Ladakh, for notifying all schools to include transgender as the third gender in the admission forms.
Additionally Commissioner Secretary has also directed the Registrar of the University of Ladakh and cluster university comprising of degree colleges at Leh, Kargil, Nubra, Drass, Zanskar, Khalste to notify all higher educational institutions to include transgender as a third gender.
Court has been informed that the HU&D Department has issued an order for sanctioning the inclusion of transgenders as third gender in the Birth, Death Certificates or any other certificates to be issued by the Municipal Committees and Councils in Ladakh UT.
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