First transgender judge seeks reservation in government jobs for her community

Indore: India’s first transgender Judge Joyita Mondal on Friday underlined the need for reservation in government jobs for her community members, saying their entry in segments like the police force and the Railways will change society’s outlook towards them and help in their advancement in life.

Mondal said her community also needs shelter homes in adequate numbers in the country and the government should launch a scheme in this regard.

“It is very important to give reservation in government jobs to the transgender community. If I don’t have a job, who is going to feed me?” Mondal told reporters after attending a culture and literature festival, “Lit Chowk”, here.

She said if by virtue of reservation, transgender persons join the police force and the Railways, it will not only help community members march ahead in life, but change society’s outlook towards them.

She said authorities should be more sensitive towards her community members and issues faced by them.

Mondal was appointed a judge in the Lok Adalat of Islampur in West Bengal in 2017, becoming the first person from her community to hold such a post in the country.

In early 2018, transgender activist Vidya Kamble was appointed a member judge in a Lok Adalat in Nagpur in Maharashtra. Later that year, the country got the third transgender judge, Swati Bidhan Baruah, who hails from Guwahati.

Last week, in a landmark decision, the Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court that members of the third gender can apply for the post of police constables and that it would frame rules setting standards for their physical tests by February 2023.