Transgender police in Bihar is a story that began in a courtroom. In December 2020 the Patna High Court found that a constable recruitment drive left transgender people out. In January 2021 the state government responded with a rule: one post in every 500 constable and sub-inspector posts is reserved for transgender candidates. Since then, three transgender sub-inspectors and a small number of constables have joined the force.
This page sets out what the court records and news reports say, what the numbers show, how Bihar compares with other states, and what is still unclear. It is background reading on our community and rights hub. It is not linked to the Modi Mandir proposal, except that both stories involve Bihar's transgender community.
Key takeaways
- On 14 December 2020 the Patna High Court said a constable advertisement that offered only "male" and "female" options fell short of the Constitution, and put the final list on hold.
- A Bihar government notification dated 14 January 2021 reserved one post in every 500 constable and sub-inspector posts for transgender persons, based on the 2011 census.
- The state also told the court it would set up a "Special Unit (Transgender)" in each district under the Superintendent of Police.
- In July 2024, three transgender candidates cleared the sub-inspector exam: Madhu (Manvi Madhu Kashyap), Ronit Jha and Bunty Kumar. They passed out of the Bihar Police Academy in December 2025.
- In May 2025 the constable board said eight of 21,391 new constables were transgender. We could not confirm how many posts had been set aside for them in that drive.
How did the transgender police quota in Bihar start?
It started with a public interest case filed during the 2020 lockdown. The petitioner was Veera Yadav, a transgender activist. Her case, Veera Yadav v. Government of Bihar, first dealt with the hardship the community faced, including lack of food during the lockdown. It later widened to jobs and education.
In late 2020 the Central Selection Board of Constables (CSBC) was running a recruitment drive. According to a PTI report published by The Week on 15 December 2020, the advertisement listed eligibility only for "male" and "female" candidates. A bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice S. Kumar said the advertisement "falls short of the Constitutional mandate." It asked the state to review the matter urgently, to publicise any steps so transgender people could apply, and it put the finalisation of the candidate list on hold "till further orders".
The same report says the government advocate told the court there was no separate reservation for transgender people, and that they were treated under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. That point comes up again later in the case.
A few days later, Gulf News reported that Bihar's Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Amir Subhani, said the government was "looking into the matter of raising a dedicated battalion of transgender in the Bihar police." That idea was later dropped, as the next section shows.
What exactly did Bihar decide in January 2021?
On 20 January 2021, LiveLaw reported that the state had told the High Court about a notification dated 14 January 2021. The notification provides reservation for transgender persons in appointment to the posts of constable and sub-inspector. In the court's words, based on the 2011 census figure for the community in Bihar, "one post for every 500 post of Constable/Sub-Inspector stands reserved." The affidavit was filed on 18 January 2021 by the Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department.
A further affidavit followed in February 2021. LiveLaw reported on 25 February 2021 that the state said:
- It would create a "Special Unit (Transgender)" at district level under the District Superintendent of Police.
- A separate battalion was not feasible, because transgender persons make up 0.039 per cent of Bihar's population.
- The number of eligible transgender candidates for constable and sub-inspector posts was likely to be low.
- It would send its request for selecting transgender candidates to the CSBC within three months.
The court called the unit "small" but said it was "a big step in acknowledging the identity". It also hoped transgender candidates would be charged the lowest application fee, as reserved categories are. A report by Punekar News dated 4 February 2021 described the plan as at least one transgender sub-inspector and four transgender constables in every district, and said the bench disposed of the petition seeking police reservation while lifting its earlier hold on the recruitment results.
The rule covers two ranks. Sub-inspectors in Bihar are recruited through the Bihar Police Subordinate Services Commission (BPSSC). Constables are recruited through the CSBC. So the 1-in-500 share applies to both boards.
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Dec 2020 | High Court says the constable advertisement falls short of the Constitution and holds the final list | PTI via The Week |
| Dec 2020 | Home Department says a transgender battalion is being considered | Gulf News |
| 14 Jan 2021 | Notification reserves 1 in 500 constable and sub-inspector posts | LiveLaw |
| Feb 2021 | State promises a district-level Special Unit (Transgender); battalion called not feasible | LiveLaw |
| Mar 2021 | High Court suggests reservation in other departments too | LiveLaw |
| Jul 2024 | Three transgender candidates clear the BPSSC sub-inspector exam | Sakshi Post (IANS), Newslaundry |
| 9 May 2025 | CSBC final list: 8 transgender constables among 21,391 | Patna Press |
| Dec 2025 | The three sub-inspectors pass out at the Bihar Police Academy, Rajgir | Patna Press |
Did the High Court ask for more?
Yes. On 11 March 2021, LiveLaw reported that the same bench suggested the state look beyond the police. Noting a transgender population of about 39,000 in Bihar, the court said the government should consider similar benefits in other departments. It added: "May be, reservation on regular basis can be confined upto O.B.C. category for transgenders." It asked the state to take a final decision by the next hearing on 13 April 2021.
We could not find a report of what the state decided after that hearing. So we cannot say whether Bihar extended a transgender quota to other government departments. If you know of an order, please send it to us.
Who are Bihar's first transgender sub-inspectors?
In July 2024, the BPSSC declared the results of its sub-inspector exam. Three transgender candidates were among those who passed. IANS, in a report carried by Sakshi Post on 10 July 2024, named Manvi Madhu Kashyap and said 1,275 candidates had cleared the exam. A Patna Press report from December 2025 names all three: Madhu Kashyap, Bunty Kumar and Ronit Jha. Reports describe Madhu as a trans woman and the other two as trans men. We use only the names that these reports have published.
All three prepared at a coaching centre in Patna run by Motiur Rehman Khan, known as Guru Rehman. Newslaundry reported on 19 July 2024 that several other coaching centres had refused to train them. Guru Rehman told Newslaundry they were "expelled from different coaching centres in 2021, after which I taught them." He also said "people have wrong perceptions about transgenders that they can only clap or dance."
Madhu told IANS: "I used to wear a scarf to hide my identity out of fear of society." Main Media quoted her as saying education is "the weapon and the means through which you can demand your rights." Reports differ on her home district. Main Media names Panjwara village in Banka, while IANS and Patna Press say a village in Bhagalpur.
Patna Press reported on 13 December 2025 that the 2023 sub-inspector batch of 1,218 trainees passed out at the Bihar Police Academy in Rajgir. It listed 779 men, 436 women and three transgender officers. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took the salute.
Were they the first in India?
No, and this is a common mistake. Newslaundry describes Bihar as the first state to recruit three transgender sub-inspectors at the same time. That narrower claim may be right. But Guru Rehman's remark that they became "the first transgender sub-inspector in India" is not correct. K. Prithika Yashini in Tamil Nadu came earlier, as the next section explains.
How many transgender constables has Bihar recruited?
Far fewer than the rule might suggest. On 9 May 2025, CSBC chairman Jitendra Kumar released the final list for 21,391 constable posts, according to Patna Press. The breakdown was 11,178 women, 10,205 men and 8 transgender candidates.
How many posts were reserved in that drive? We could not open the reports that give a planned figure, so we do not repeat it. As simple arithmetic, 21,391 divided by 500 is about 42. But we do not know whether the 1-in-500 rule is applied to each drive or to the total sanctioned strength of the force, so that number is only a rough guide.
Why the gap? The sources we opened do not explain it. The state itself told the court in 2021 that eligible candidates were likely to be few. The coaching refusals described above show one barrier. Activists quoted in other reports have also pointed to missing identity documents, a problem our page on voters covers. We found no official report on how many transgender people applied.
How does Bihar compare with other states?
Several states have moved on transgender police jobs, often after a court case. The table compares the ones with clear public records.
| State | What was done | When | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tamil Nadu | Madras High Court orders the recruitment board to add a third gender category; Prithika Yashini gets a sub-inspector appointment | Ruling 2015; appointment order reported Feb 2016 | The News Minute |
| Chhattisgarh | 13 transgender candidates selected as constables on merit, 2 on the waiting list | Results declared 1 Mar 2021 | PTI via EastMojo |
| Bihar | 1 in 500 constable and sub-inspector posts reserved; 3 sub-inspectors, 8 constables in one drive | Rule Jan 2021; recruits 2024 and 2025 | LiveLaw, Patna Press |
| Karnataka | 1 per cent horizontal reservation in all direct-recruitment government jobs, across every caste category | Notification 6 Jul 2021 | LiveLaw |
Tamil Nadu. The News Minute reported in February 2016 that Prithika Yashini had applied for a sub-inspector post in February 2015 and was rejected because the recruitment board had no third gender category. She went to the Madras High Court, which directed the board to include transgender candidates and later asked it to give her the post, calling her a "role model".
Chhattisgarh. PTI, via EastMojo on 4 March 2021, quoted Director General of Police D. M. Awasthi: "Thirteen candidates from the transgender community have been recruited as constables on the basis of merit." About 2,000 constables were selected in that round. The exam was held in 2017-18.
Karnataka. The Karnataka rule is wider than Bihar's. LiveLaw reported on 20 July 2021 that the state amended its civil service recruitment rules after a case by the group Sangama. The 1 per cent share applies within general merit, SC, ST and each OBC category. If no eligible transgender candidate is found, the post can go to a man or woman from the same category.
The main difference is scope. Bihar's rule, as reported, covers only two police ranks. Karnataka's covers all direct recruitment in state government jobs.
What criticism and court questions remain?
Most of the debate is about how far the policy goes, not whether it should exist. Here are the main points we found in the record.
- Small share. One post in 500 is 0.2 per cent. The state based it on the 2011 census count. Whether that count reflects the community's real size today is a fair question, but we did not find a Bihar study that measures it.
- Only the police. The High Court itself suggested extending the benefit to other departments in March 2021. We found no report that this happened.
- The OBC question. In 2020 the state said transgender people were treated under OBC. The court in 2021 floated reservation "upto O.B.C. category". How this works with the 1-in-500 rule in practice is not explained in the sources we opened.
- Posts left unfilled. Eight transgender constables out of 21,391 is far below what the rule could allow. No official reason has been published.
- The Special Unit. The state promised a district-level unit in 2021. We found no later report on whether these units exist or how many officers serve in them.
A separate Bihar case shows the same tension over identity. In August 2023 the Patna High Court, in a case filed by activist Reshma Prasad, said "Transgender is not a caste identity" and that Bihar was wrong to list transgender people as a caste in its 2022 caste survey, according to LiveLaw. The court did not interfere, because the state said it had already added an "other" option for enumerators on 25 April 2023. Our glossary of kinnar, hijra and transgender explains the words used in these cases.
Where does the law fit in?
The Supreme Court's 2014 NALSA judgment told governments to give transgender people affirmative action in education and public jobs. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 bans discrimination in employment but does not itself create a job quota. Our plain guide to the 2019 Act covers that criticism, and our page on the 2026 amendment explains what changed this year. For the longer history, see the long road to equality. This is general information, not legal advice.
Bihar's police quota came from the state government after a court case, not from the 2019 Act. That is why it is limited to the posts named in the notification.
How does this connect to the Modi Mandir story?
Only indirectly. The Modi Mandir proposal came from Rajan Singh, a member of the Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board, in July 2026. He said Modi gave the community "respect and rights", according to PTI. Supporters of the proposal sometimes point to steps such as the police quota as examples of change. But the police quota was a Bihar government decision made in answer to a High Court case. It was not a central government scheme, and nothing we found links it to the temple proposal.
For why the community is part of the temple story, read why the transgender community is linked to the Modi temple. For what the welfare board is and what it can do, see state transgender welfare boards explained. For voting and representation, see transgender voters in Bihar.
What we do not know yet
- How many transgender posts were reserved in each CSBC and BPSSC drive since 2021.
- How many transgender people applied, and how many failed at each stage.
- Whether the district Special Units (Transgender) were set up.
- Whether Bihar extended reservation to other departments after the High Court's March 2021 suggestion.
- Where the three sub-inspectors are now posted. We did not find a confirmed report and do not guess.
Common questions
Does Bihar have a reservation for transgender people in the police?
Yes. A notification dated 14 January 2021 reserves one post in every 500 constable and sub-inspector posts for transgender persons, according to the state's affidavit reported by LiveLaw.
Who are Bihar's first transgender sub-inspectors?
Madhu (Manvi Madhu Kashyap), Ronit Jha and Bunty Kumar cleared the BPSSC sub-inspector exam in July 2024 and passed out of the Bihar Police Academy in December 2025.
How many transgender constables joined in 2025?
The CSBC said eight of the 21,391 constables in its May 2025 final list were transgender.
Was Bihar the first state to have a transgender sub-inspector?
No. Prithika Yashini in Tamil Nadu got a sub-inspector appointment after a Madras High Court case, as reported in 2016. Bihar may be the first to recruit three at once.
Sources
- The Week (PTI): Patna HC on transgender exclusion from constable recruitment, 15 December 2020
- Gulf News: Bihar considers raising transgender battalion, December 2020
- LiveLaw: Reservation for transgender community in constable and sub-inspector posts, 20 January 2021
- LiveLaw: Transgender police personnel, Bihar government submits to Patna HC, 25 February 2021
- LiveLaw: Patna High Court suggests reservation for transgender community, 11 March 2021
- Sakshi Post (IANS): 3 transgenders become sub-inspectors in Bihar, 10 July 2024
- Newslaundry: In a first, 3 transgender persons join Bihar police, 19 July 2024
- Main Media: Manvi Madhu Kashyap's journey, 19 July 2024
- Patna Press: Over 21,000 new constables to join Bihar Police, 9 May 2025
- Patna Press: 1,218 new sub-inspectors pass out, including three transgender officers, 13 December 2025
- The News Minute: Yashini, first transgender woman to join TN police, 16 February 2016
- EastMojo (PTI): Chhattisgarh police recruit 13 transgenders as constables, 4 March 2021
- LiveLaw: 1% seats in government jobs reserved for transgender persons, Karnataka, 20 July 2021
- LiveLaw: Transgender not a caste identity, Patna High Court, 23 August 2023
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Last checked on 27 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us through our contact page.