Kerala's Landmark Move: Bar Council Approves Reservation of Seats for Transgender Law Students

The court has scheduled the matter for additional deliberation on Friday.

Kochi:

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has provided interim approval for Kerala government's initiative to establish two supernumerary seats designated for transgender students across all law colleges in the state. This initiative is being recognized as a crucial advancement toward inclusivity within legal education.

This approval comes following a directive issued by the Kerala High Court on October 24, which requested the BCI to evaluate and endorse the government's proposal.

The Kerala government had presented its proposal on August 6, requesting authorization to introduce additional seats under the transgender category in both three-year and five-year LLB programs.

During Thursday's proceedings, Justice VG Arun expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved.

"It is encouraging to note that following this Court's order dated 24/10/2025, the Bar Council of India has granted interim approval to the Kerala Government's proposal for two supernumerary positions in each law college for transgender individuals for the 2025-26 academic year," the court stated.

This development emerged during the hearing of a petition filed by a transgender woman who had successfully qualified in the Kerala Law Entrance Examination (KLEE) 2025 and was deemed eligible for admission to the Government Law College, Kozhikode.

However, she was denied admission because no separate category or seat existed for transgender candidates in the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations' (CEE) allotment list.

The petitioner contended that this denial violated her fundamental rights, as well as the Supreme Court's NALSA judgment and provisions of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, which mandate equal educational access and prohibit discrimination.

She sought the court's intervention to secure her admission under the transgender category and to ensure implementation of such reservations across all government law colleges and universities throughout the state.

Following the BCI's submission, the petitioner's counsel informed the court of their intention to implead all Kerala law colleges and universities in the case, noting that only the University of Calicut had been named thus far.

The court scheduled the matter for further hearing on Friday, November 7, to issue appropriate directions. "Let this benefit others as well," Justice Arun remarked orally.