News Chennai to Get India's First Transgender Sub Inspector

[Technoglitch]

Chennai's K Prithika Yashini will soon become India's first transgender Sub Inspector of Police.

The Madras High Court has declared the 25-year-old as a fit candidate, paving the way for her appointment as Sub Inspector by the Tamil Nadu Government. The court has also directed the recruitment board to make changes to draw transgenders to the state police force.

Born and brought up as a boy named Pradeep Kumar, the young Computer Applications graduate turned into Prithika after a sex change surgery. But it was an arduous journey for her.


Her application was first rejected as the state police recruitment board doesn't have a third gender category. There's no quota or concessional cut off in written exam, physical examination or interview too for transgenders.

Prithika, however, was relentless. She filed a series of writ petitions which resulted in examination cut off marks being lowered from 28.5 to 25 in her case. She also qualified in all physical tests. Only in the 100 metres dash, she was late by one second, but that was accepted.

"I'm excited. It's a new beginning for the entire transgender community," said Prithika, who wants to become an IPS officer.

Her advocate, Bhavani, who has represented similar cases for other transgenders trying for government jobs, said, "This order would open new opportunities for many transgenders."

Chennai to Get India's First Transgender Sub Inspector

 

[IndianMascot]

Brilliant. I wish every transgender become self-dependent like this and stop begging around on traffic signals.

 

[Technoglitch]

Yashini was born K Pradeep Kumar and remained a male till she completed her post-graduate diploma in computer application from Bharathiar University. Though she had felt sweeping changes in her gait and body even during her school days, Yashini said she could gather courage to meet a doctor without informing her own parents, only after joining a college.

After she was medically confirmed as a transgender, Yashini left her home to avoid embarrassment to her parents. She then underwent a sex re-assignment surgery and obtained necessary certificate. She also gazetted her sex change and got an identity card as well. Though she became a transgender in all respects Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) rejected her application saying her name did not 'tally' with original certificates. She first came to the court for permission to take part in written examination held on May 23, 2015. Narrating her travails and struggles even for food, Yashini wanted the court to help her lead a "normal life as other citizens." After succeeding in the first round of litigation, she was able to participate in field trials on August 5. During field trials, she was disqualified on the ground that she failed to qualify in 100mts race by 1.1 second.

The first bench, however, made light of the time factor, and said: "We do not think that in the physical endurance test, a difference of 1.11 seconds should come in the way of Prithika in being considered for recruitment. She will have to meet the benchmark of recruitment process, but the case cannot be knocked out in the middle."

The discrimination suffered by transgenders would be difficult for other two genders to realize, the judges said, adding, "the present case is one where the petitioner was categorized as man, though she was a female. She had undergone sufferance of an exit from her house without parental protection. She petitioner has been endeavouring to eke out a living."

Pointing out that she qualified the horizontal reservation minimum benchmark of women of ministerial quota which is 25.5 against which she petitioner had obtained 28.5 marks, the judges: "It was this which persuaded the court to grant interim orders in her favour."

Chennai girl to be the first transgender police officer in Tamil Nadu - The Times of India

 

[scorpionking76]

Kudos to prathika