Srinagar: The J&K High Court has directed Education departments of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to submit a report before the court about the steps taken for inclusion of transgenders in the education process.
The court asked the authorities to inform about criteria for granting admission to transgenders in schools, colleges and universities and asked officials to place a sample of admission form before the court.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Puneet Gupta remarked that despite many directions passed by the court on the issue, no reports have been filed before the court.
The court recorded that the School Education Department of J&K was directed to submit compliance of the directions made in the communication in December last year.
“They were directed to obtain report samples and place them on record. This has not been complied with”, the court said.
A similar direction was issued to the Higher Education Department of J&K. “Let the same be filed before the next date of hearing,” the court directed.
Meanwhile, the petitioner has been directed to verify the status of the working of the steps taken by the authorities and asked him to verify the position and inform the court on the next date of hearing.
A report by Commissioner Secretary to Government, Higher Education, Union Territory of Ladakh submitted that as per socio-economic caste census 2011, there are only six transgenders in the Ladakh region, 4 are in Leh and 2 in Kargil.
It said that the region is keen to upgrade its database and upgrade the current census with the upcoming census of 2020-21.
It was further submitted by the official that School Education Department of Ladakh has issued directions to the Director School Education, Ladakh, for notifying all schools to include transgender as the third gender in the admission forms.
The officer in the report mentioned that already the Registrar of the University of Ladakh and cluster university comprising of degree colleges at Leh, Kargil, Nubra, Drass, Zanskar, Khalste have been directed to notify all higher educational institutions to include transgender as a third gender.
He informed that the Housing and Urban Development Department has issued an order for sanctioning the inclusion of transgenders as third gender in the Birth, Death Certificates or any other certificates to be issued by the Municipal Committees and Councils in Ladakh.

NUSRAT SIDIQ