The Supreme Court on Friday strongly condemned discriminatory practices by two schools &mdash; one in Uttar Pradesh that dismissed a transwoman teacher and another in Gujarat that refused to employ her within a year &mdash; ordering compensation for the victim and forming a committee to draft an Equal Opportunity Policy for transgender individuals.
The case was brought forward by Jane Kaushik, who alleged gender-based discrimination after being terminated from a school in Lakhimpur Kheri in December 2022 and later denied employment in Gujarat in July 2023. 
The apex court noted that its ruling would reinforce safeguards and strengthen protections for the transgender community.
The newly constituted committee will be headed by former Delhi High Court judge Asha Menon and include members from civil society, transgender rights activists, academicians, and health experts. 
The panel will prepare the Equal Opportunity Policy and establish a grievance redressal mechanism to protect gender-diverse and gender-nonconforming individuals.
&ldquo;With this judgment, the future of the third gender should be secure,&rdquo; observed the bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan.
Senior advocate Yashraj Singh Deora, representing Kaushik, argued that her dismissal highlighted persistent structural discrimination despite the Supreme Court&rsquo;s landmark NALSA judgment of 2014, which recognized transgender persons as socially and educationally backward and called for reservations in employment and education.
Kaushik also accused the Centre and state governments of failing to fully implement the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
The court directed that Kaushik be compensated for her wrongful termination and reaffirmed that transgender individuals must be guaranteed equal employment opportunities and protection of their rights.

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October 17, 2025 | 17:35 IST