Kerala gets BCI nod for transgender quota in law colleges

The Bar Council of India has granted interim approval to Kerala’s proposal to reserve two supernumerary seats for transgender students in all law colleges. The move follows a Kerala High Court directive and marks a major step towards inclusive legal education

Kochi: The Bar Council of India (BCI) has granted interim approval to the Kerala government’s proposal to create two supernumerary seats for transgender students in all law colleges across the state. The move is being hailed as a significant step towards inclusivity in legal education.

The approval follows a directive from the Kerala High Court on October 24, which had asked the BCI to consider and approve the government’s request. The Kerala government had submitted its proposal on August 6, seeking permission to introduce additional seats under the transgender category in both three-year and five-year LLB programmes.

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When the matter came up on Thursday, Justice V G Arun recorded his satisfaction over the progress made. “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 ranked eligible for admission to the Government Law College, Kozhikode.

However, she was denied admission since no separate category or seat existed for transgender candidates in the allotment list prepared by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE). The petitioner argued that the 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 access to education and non-discrimination.

She sought the court’s direction to secure her admission under the transgender category and to ensure such reservations are implemented across all government law colleges and universities in the state.

Following the BCI’s submission, the petitioner’s counsel informed the court that they would implead all law colleges and universities in Kerala in the case, noting that only the University of Calicut had been named so far. The court posted the matter for further hearing on Friday, November 7, to issue appropriate directions. “Let this be helpful to others also,” Justice Arun orally remarked.