Former Chief Justice of India (CJI), Justice UU Lalit, on Thrusday said the LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer) community is not entitled to claim "vertical' sort of constitutional reservations like those given to the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), or Economically Weaker Section (EWS)".

Speaking at an event, the former CJI, however, said the community might claim a "horizontal reservation status on the lines of the ones for women and disabled people", according to a press release. Justice Lalit, who retired as the 49th CJI in November 2022, made the remarks in answer to a query during the Q&A session after delivering a special lecture on Affirmative Action and the Constitution of India' at the India International University of Legal Education and Research (IIULER) in Goa.