Mumbai, Mar 7 (IANS): In a significant move, the Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court on Monday that it will issue orders within a week providing a third window for transgender persons to access government jobs and education.

State Advocate-General Birendra Saraf said that a committee would also be set up under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2019, and police recruitment rules would be amended to include physical standards for transgender persons in certain posts like constables or drivers.

His submission came before the division bench of Acting Chief Justice S.V. Gangapurwala and Justice Sandeep Marne in a petition filed by one Vinayak Kashid, seeking modifications to a recruitment process for 170 vacant posts of the MahaTranso which did not specify reservations for the transgender persons.

Kashid had filed his petition last year seeking compliance of the Supreme Court's verdict of 2014, making and implementing a policy to include transpersons in government jobs.

The Central Rules of 2020 under the Act were issued to provide for procedures facilitating the identification of a transgender person for employment purposes, formulate policies to implement the Act within two years, and in December 2022, the High Court directed the state government to do the needful in the matter.

Saraf told the high court that the committee will be formed in a week to prepare its report on guidelines for transgenders within two months.

The move will come as a breather for thousands of transgenders hoping to apply for various government jobs in the recruitment drives that are undertaken or will be taken up in the coming weeks.