KOCHI: The National Cadet Corps (NCC) on Tuesday informed the Kerala High Court that as per existing policy, there was only a provision for boys and girl cadets and not for transgender persons.
The submission was made in response to a petition filed by Hina Haneefa, a trans woman and a student of Thiruvananthapuram University college, challenging NCC's exclusion of transgender persons from their program in the college.
In the affidavit, Lt Col Prem Chand Jha, Officer Commanding, Kerala Battalion NCC, Thiruvananthapuram, stated that the divisions created in the NCC were only for male and female genders. Moreover, in NCC, facilities, training modules and other curriculums provided to both the divisions were different from each other. It was the prerogative of the Centre to constitute a new division for the third gender.
In fact, before constituting a new division for the third gender, Centre had to conduct a major exercise in terms of reviewing the infrastructure facilities, modules, and facilities that are binding to such divisions. Any induction of a candidate not from male or female gender without due deliberations by the authorities would have far-reaching ramifications. The issue of raising a new division was a policy decision.
The affidavit points out that the petitioner has chosen to be called transgender female which falls in the third gender category as a transwoman whereas enrolment in NCC as a cadet is open only to a male and female gender. It pointed out that that one of the primary aims of NCC was to groom the cadets for a future with the Armed forces whereas, there was no provision existing for the entry of transgender(Female/male) in the Indian Armed Forces.
According to NCC, a student can be enrolled in the 'Girls Division' only if the student is admitted under the female category in the college. Hence, the petitioner is not eligible to include in NCC.