By Express News Service CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the TN State Uniformed Services Recruitment Board to enhance age-limit for transgenders applying for the post of grade-II police constable (AR), notified on March 6 and allow them to take written examination. Justice V Parthiban, who gave the direction on Monday while passing interim orders on a writ petition from transgender Deepika of Aminjikarai, held that this interim order was without prejudice to the rights of the parties in the writ petitions. Since an important issue has been raised in these writ petitions with regard to relaxation of age and the like, which requires critical appreciation and examination by this court and also because of the fact that the balance of convenience is in favour of the petitioner, the interim direction is issued, the judge said. The petition prayed for a direction to the Recruitment Board to increase the age limit from 26 years to 45 years for appointment of persons belonging to the third gender to the post of grade-II constable in the State. According to petitioner, the Board called for candidature from women and transgenders for filling 2,465 grade-II constable posts. It prescribed the age limit of 24 years for candidates belonging to general category, 26 years for BC, MBC and denotified communities, 29 years for SCs/STs, 35 years for widows and 45 for ex-servicewomen. The petitioner prayed for a direction to the authorities concerned to enhance the age-limit for transgenders, who had already been included in the BC, MBC and DCs, to 45 years so that many of them would be able to apply for the post.

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