Parliamentarians D Raja (CPI), Tiruchi Siva (DMK) and Manoj Jha (RJD) have extended their support to a transgender who had moved the Supreme Court challenging the alleged decision of national carrier Air India to deny her a job as a cabin crew.
The National Federation of Indian Women convened a meeting on Wednesday to express their solidarity with the transgender candidate, and the three MPs were present there. They will meet Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu and raise the alleged discrimination.
“We are expressing support to her cause and we will meet the minister,” Raja told PTI, adding that he would raise his voice against the discrimination being faced by transgenders in jobs and other places.
In December 2014, DMK MP Tiruchi Siva had moved a private member bill in Parliament on transgender rights.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court had agreed to hear a plea filed by the transgender for being refused a cabin crew position by Air India because of her sexual orientation.
Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud said they would hear her petition after two weeks.
In November 2017, the transgender, who underwent a sex change operation in 2014, had moved the apex court accusing the airline of gender discrimination. The Supreme Court had issued notices to Air India and the Ministry of Civil Aviation on the matter.
The petitioner had said the airline denied her a cabin crew job though she had cleared the examination. The airline had reportedly told her that its recruitment policy did not have a category for transgender people.
(With agency inputs)