PANAJI: The Goa government has officially notified transgender persons in the state as Socially and Educationally Backward citizens, bringing them under the State Other Backward Classes (OBC) list and making them eligible for reservation benefits in education and public employment.
The notification was issued by the Directorate of Social Welfare on Tuesday, following a recommendation by the Goa State Commission for Backward Classes. The move provides for reservation benefits under Articles 15(4) and 16(4) of the Constitution of India.
The notification states that the decision has been taken after considering the educational and social conditions of the transgender community in Goa and acting on the advice of the Goa State Commission for Backward Classes, conveyed through a letter dated June 6, 2023.
The government has invoked the directions of the Supreme Court in its April 15, 2014 judgment in the case of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) vs Union of India and Others, reported in 2014 (5) SCC 438.
Under the notification, transgender persons have been recognised as socially and educationally backward for the purpose of reservation in educational institutions under Article 15(4) and public appointments under Article 16(4) of the Constitution. Their inclusion in the State OBC list formalises their eligibility for these reservation benefits.
