Seven transgender persons have approached the Karnataka High Court challenging the State’s failure to provide appropriate physical standards and endurance-test relaxations for recruitment to Armed Police Constable posts. The petitioners, Vikash J, Jagdish Uday Bodki, Girish CM, Dileep K, Shivraj M Nayakodi, Shashikumar and Devindrappa, filed their pleas against the State of Karnataka and police recruitment authorities.
The petitions contest Notification No. 445 dated September 12, 2022, issued for the recruitment of Armed Police Constables. Under this notification, transgender applicants were required to compete under a separate category of “Male Transgender” candidates and meet physical standards prescribed for cisgender male candidates. The petitioners had applied under this category, qualified in the written examination, but were disqualified during the physical standard and physical endurance tests.
The petitioners argue that the notification created a separate “Male Transgender” category instead of permitting transgender persons to avail of the one per cent horizontal reservation under the Karnataka Civil Services (General Recruitment) Rules, 1977, by providing an “Others” category in recruitment applications. They rely on Rule 9(1D) of the Rules, introduced by amendment in 2021, which mandates one per cent horizontal reservation for transgender persons across General Merit, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, with a separate “Others” category in applications.
The Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal had previously dismissed the petitioners’ applications through a common order dated June 2, 2026. The Tribunal held that the physical standards prescribed for recruitment could not be relaxed merely because the candidates belonged to the transgender community. The petitioners have challenged this ruling before the High Court.
They contend that subjecting transgender candidates to the same physical benchmarks as cisgender male candidates, without examining whether separate or relaxed standards are required, does not constitute meaningful implementation of transgender reservation. The petition refers to specific requirements under the notification, including a 1,600-metre run to be completed within six minutes and 30 seconds, besides long-jump, high-jump and shot-put events.
The petitioners state that the absence of separate standards and reasonable accommodation led to their disqualification despite success in the written examination. They have also stated that they submitted representations to the authorities seeking appropriate physical criteria for transgender candidates, but these requests were not acted upon.
A second petition challenges a government direction dated October 10, 2025, which excluded transgender persons from recruitment to the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP), the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB), the Armed Reserve (KARP) and the Karnataka State Industrial Security Force (KSISF). The petition also challenges subsequent recruitment notifications issued on June 19, 2026, and in July 2026, which perpetuate this exclusion.
The petitions raise related questions concerning the proper implementation of the one per cent horizontal reservation for transgender persons and the application of physical eligibility criteria in police recruitment. The matter is currently before the Karnataka High Court for adjudication.