CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) not to reject the application of a transgender woman seeking admission to the undergraduate course on the grounds of gender.
The direction was given by Justice M Dhandapani recently on a petition filed by A Nivetha seeking direction to consider her application for the 2024-25 academic year.
She stated in the petition that the prospectus issued for the admission notification does not contain a specific column for marking the third gender and wanted the court to quash it as illegal. However, her counsel, during the hearing, wanted the court to limit the prayer to considering the application for admission.
The court without interfering with the impugned admission notification directed the university to consider the application of the petitioner and ‘place the petitioner appropriately’ for admission within two weeks.
“It is made clear that the third respondent (Chairman of Admission Committee, TANUVAS) shall not reject the application of the petitioner on the ground of being transgender,” the judge stated in the order while disposing of the petition.