HC notice against army JAG branch's married woman bar

The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to the defence ministry on a plea seeking direction to declare unconstitutional the eligibility conditions barring entry of married woman law graduate candidates in the army's judge advocate general (JAG) branch.

A division bench of Chief Justice G.Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath asked the central government and army's directorate general of recruiting to file their responses by August 10.

The petition said that not recruiting married female candidates in JAG is "discrimination against females".

The government recruits both married and unmarried males and only unmarried females in JAG, said the plea, adding that due to this "institutionalised discrimination", married female candidates who are law graduates are being "deprived of their right to serve in JAG department of Indian Army".

"This discrimination on grounds of gender is violative of fundamental right of equality before law, right not to be discriminated on the ground of sex, equality of opportunity in matters of public employment, fundamental right to practice any profession and occupation and human rights of the women," said the plea filed by Kush Kalra.

--IANS

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