Rajasthan High Court Addresses Gender Discrimination in Teacher Promotions
The Rajasthan High Court has recently made a significant ruling, calling out the state government for discriminating against female teachers in promotions. The court was hearing a petition challenging the state education department's decision to prepare separate seniority lists for male and female teachers. The court found that this practice caused gender discrimination and violated the fundamental rights of female teachers under Articles 14, 15(1), 16, and 21 of the Constitution of India.
The court criticized the state's justification that the requirement for male teachers was greater due to the higher number of boys' schools, stating that this assumption unfairly implied only male teachers were competent to teach in boys' schools. The court directed the authorities to consider all eligible female teachers for promotion and grant them consequential benefits.
Bail and Judicial Decisions
In another notable case, the Rajasthan High Court allowed a bail application for a petitioner who was not named in the FIR and had been in custody since November 2023. The court found that the petitioner had substantial grounds to question the prosecution's case and that no purpose would be served by keeping him in detention.
Additionally, the court rejected a bail application based on the principle of parity, emphasizing that simply because bail was granted to co-accused does not automatically justify bail for another accused if the facts and evidence differ. The court stressed that each case must be scrutinized individually.
Other Significant Rulings
The Rajasthan High Court also directed the state government to provide compensation to the dependents of heatwave victims and suggested declaring heatwaves and cold waves as national calamities. This directive underscores the court's commitment to addressing public welfare and safety issues.
In a separate case, the court issued notices to the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) regarding a petition seeking the cancellation and retest of the NEET-UG exam due to allegations of cheating and impersonation.
