SC to Hear Plea of Transgender Teacher Facing Termination Due to Sexual Orientation

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear the plea of a transgender person whose services as a teacher were terminated by two private schools in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh after her sexual orientation became known to the employers.

“We will see what we can do,” stated a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwla and Manoj Misra while issuing notices to the Centre, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh governments on the plea of the transgender woman.

In addition to the government, the top court also sought responses from the head of the school in Jamnagar in Gujarat and the chairperson of another private school based in Khiri in Uttar Pradesh.

“The grievance of the petitioner is that her services were terminated in schools of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat after her gender identity was revealed. The petitioner says that she cannot pursue her remedies in two different high courts,” the bench stated and fixed the plea for hearing after four weeks.

The counsel representing the transgender person mentioned that she was given a letter of appointment in a school in Uttar Pradesh and taught for six days before being removed. In the Gujarat school, she was given the letter of appointment but later denied the opportunity to join after her sexual identity was known, the lawyer said.

The petitioner seeks the enforcement of her fundamental rights.