The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought responses from the Centre, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat on a plea filed by a transgender woman whose services as a teacher were terminated by two private schools in these states after her gender identity was revealed.
A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwla and Manoj Misra issued notices to the Centre, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh governments on her plea.
“The grievance of the petitioner is that her services were terminated in schools in UP and Gujarat after her gender identity was revealed. The petitioner says that she cannot pursue her remedies in two different high courts. Issue notice to the Union and the states, returnable after four weeks,” said the bench.
The transgender woman accused two private schools in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat of sacking her due to her sexual orientation, which became known to employers.
Jane Kaushik, 31, said in her plea that she was first fired by a private school in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri in December 2022 and was told not to join another school in Gujarat in July 2023 for being open about her gender identity.
The petitioner, calling the acts of two schools in breach of her fundamental right to equality and against discrimination based on gender, asked for her reinstatement.
She also sought proper guidelines from the Union government to ensure no other transgender person faces the difficulties she has been going through. (ANI)
