BCI grants interim nod for Kerala’s transgender seat quota in law colleges
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Kochi: The Bar Council of India (BCI) has granted interim approval to the Kerala government’s proposal to introduce two supernumerary seats for transgender students in all law colleges across the state, a move widely hailed as a milestone for inclusivity in legal education.
The approval follows a Kerala High Court directive on October 24, which had asked the BCI to consider and decide on the state government’s proposal.
The Kerala government had earlier submitted its proposal on August 6, seeking permission to create additional seats under the transgender category in both three-year and five-year LLB programmes.
When the matter came up for hearing on Thursday, Justice V.G. Arun expressed satisfaction over the progress.
“It is heartening to note that pursuant to this Court’s order dated 24/10/2025, the Bar Council of India has granted interim approval to the proposal of the Government of Kerala for two supernumerary posts in each law college for the transgender category for the academic year 2025–26,” the court observed.
The development came during the hearing of a petition filed by a transgender woman who had qualified in the Kerala Law Entrance Examination (KLEE) 2025 and was eligible for admission to the Government Law College, Kozhikode.
However, she was denied admission since no separate category or reserved seat existed for transgender candidates in the allotment list prepared by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE).
The petitioner contended that this denial violated her fundamental rights, as well as the Supreme Court’s NALSA judgment and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, both of which ensure equal access to education and prohibit discrimination.
She urged the court to direct authorities to secure her admission under the transgender category and implement similar reservations across all government law colleges and universities in Kerala.
Following the BCI’s submission, the petitioner’s counsel informed the court that they would implead all law colleges and universities in the state in the case, as only the University of Calicut had been named so far.
The court has posted the matter for further hearing on Friday, November 7, to issue appropriate directions.
“Let this be helpful to others also,” Justice Arun remarked.
With IANS inputs