A division bench of Telangana High Court on Wednesday issued an interim stay on Group IV recruitments, stating that the ongoing process is subject to the outcome of a series of writ petitions filed on provision of reservations to transgenders. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao, was hearing three writ petitions filed by Devanth Tanusri and others, challenging the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) for not providing horizontal reservations for transgender persons in the Group IV services recruitment process.
The petitioners argued that the current reservation framework, as outlined by the TSPSC and the applicable service rules, fails to meet the requirements set forth by the Supreme Court in the landmark NALSA judgment, which recognised the rights of transgender persons. The transgender aspirants contended that the TSPSC’s reservation matrix does not adequately acknowledge transgender individuals as a separate gender category or as part of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) group, both of which are critical for ensuring fair representation in public employment. They contend that this omission was in violation of the guidelines laid down by the apex court.