1% of all government jobs in Karnataka will be reserved for transgender candidates under both general and reserved categories, according to a government notification that was issued on July 6. The state government also informed the Karnataka High Court that a notification had already been issued after amending the Karnataka Civil Service (General Recruitment) Rule, 1977.
According to the July 6th notification, “In all direct recruitment, one percentage of vacancies set apart for that method in each of the categories of General Merit, SC, ST and in each of the categories among Other Backward Classes, subject to any general instruction that may be issued by the government regarding the manner of appointment, be filled from among transgender candidates.”
Sangma, a sexual minorities, sex workers and people living HIV human rights organization, had filed a PIL in the High Court questioning denial of job opportunities in the State Special Reserve Constable Force and Bandsman postings. During the hearing, public prosecutor Vijay Kumar Patil informed the bench that 1% reservation for transgender people had already been enacted by the state by amending the existing rule.
Further, Indian Express reported that the Karnataka Govt will follow the definition of transgender person in accordance with the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. The Act defines a transgender person as as one whose gender does not match the gender assigned at birth. It includes trans-men and trans-women, persons with intersex variations, gender-queers, and persons with socio-cultural identities, such as kinnar and hijra.