New Delhi, June 15 (IANS): The Delhi High Court on Monday sought response from the Centre and the UPSC on a plea seeking quashing of the UPSC notice for not including transgender as a gender option in the application form for the civil services preliminary examination.

A division bench of Justice Mukta Gupta and Justice P.S. Teji asked the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to reply by June 17.

The last date for receipt of the application forms is June 19.

The bench sought to know why the transgender category has not been included as an eligibility criteria for the examination, when the Supreme Court has declared such individuals as third gender.

In April 2014, the Supreme Court created the "third gender" status for hijras or transgenders.

Earlier, transgenders were forced to write male or female against their gender.

The apex court had asked the Centre to treat transgender as socially and economically backward.

The Supreme Court had said transgenders will be allowed admission in educational institutions and given employment on the basis that they belonged to the third gender category.

The petition filed by advocate Jamshed Ansari sought inclusion of transgenders as an eligibility criteria or gender option in the online application forms for the civil services exam, saying it would "benefit the transgender community who are socially excluded from public employment and are suffering from social backwardness in the society".

Lack of the third gender option resulted in transgenders not being able to apply for the examination scheduled to be held on August 23, the plea said.