Karnataka High Court CJ Recuses From NLSIU Appeal Against 0.5% Transgender Reservation in Admissions

Karnataka High Court’s Acting Chief Justice V. Kameswar Rao recused himself from NLSIU’s appeal against a single‑judge order directing a 0.5% reservation and fee waiver for transgender students in its LLB programme.

He stepped aside due to his membership in the University’s General Council, raising a potential conflict of interest. 

Senior Advocate K.G. Raghavan, representing NLSIU, contended that the court exceeded its jurisdiction under Article 226 by transforming a private petition into a de facto public interest litigation (PIL) without the necessary input from the state, as mandated by the NALSA v. Union of India (2014) ruling. He questioned the rationale of the 0.5% quota.  

The matter will be re‑listed before a differently constituted bench.