New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to pay Rs 12 lakh in compensation to a woman who was denied a job at an LPG filling plant allegedly because she was a woman.
The woman had been recommended for appointment as a refilling helper/casual Khalasi at an IOC LPG refill plant. However, she was not issued an appointment letter despite being among 49 candidates recommended for employment by a local committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner.
A bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi expressed strong disapproval of the decision to exclude her on the basis of gender. “Why didn’t you appoint her just because she is a woman? This is an insult to womanhood,” the bench observed.
Court Questions Gender-Based Exclusion
The Supreme Court pointed out that women routinely lift and replace LPG cylinders in their homes. Therefore, merely claiming that a woman cannot perform a job involving the handling of cylinders cannot be accepted as a valid basis for denying employment.
The court also took note of the fact that the woman had continued her legal battle for several years and had by then reached retirement age.
43 Others Were Appointed
The petitioner was a resident of Guda village in Punjab. She was among 49 people recommended for jobs at the IOC LPG plant. While 43 candidates were appointed, she was left out. The trial court found that she possessed the required qualifications. It also relied on the testimony of a defence witness, which indicated that she had not been appointed because she was a woman.
The trial court subsequently directed that she be accommodated in a suitable position, including as a casual employee, administrative staff member or peon.
High Court Had Earlier Rejected Her Claim
The trial court’s decision was later overturned by the first appellate court. It held that inclusion in the recommendation list did not amount to final selection and that
