CHENNAI: The state government informed the Madras High Court it may need three months, after the poll process gets over, to conduct a survey on the population of trans persons in the state before taking a decision on providing them reservation in education and employment.
Filing a status report on Wednesday before the first bench of Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice J Sathya Narayana Prasad, the state informed that steps are being taken to effectively conduct the survey.
“The respondents have filed a status report. It states that the government needs a minimum three months time to complete the survey effectively, after the model code of conduct is lifted,” the bench recorded.
According to the status report, the population of trans persons was 12,000 based on a survey held in 2020 and when identity cards were issued to them in 2022, only 8,200 received them. A meeting was held with stakeholders last month to discuss the matter and a camp was held early in April but only 57 people participated in it, the government told the court.
It further stated the government needs to take the survey before deciding whether to provide separate reservation for trans persons and the quantum of the quota. The court adjourned the case to July 5 for further hearing.
Activist Grace Banu Ganesan filed the petition seeking horizontal reservation for trans persons. Additional Advocate General P Kumaresan and State Government Pleader A Edwin Prabakar represented the government. Senior counsel Jayna Kothari, appearing for the petitioner, sought the government to provide the reservation based on the 2020 survey.