HC agrees to hear PIL for recruiting married female law graduates at Judge Advocate General of Indian Army

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today agreed to hear a PIL seeking directions to the government to recruit married women law graduates into the Judge Advocate General (JAG) department of the Indian Army like similarly placed men.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath asked the registry whether a similar matter was already pending before the court and if yes, to club this PIL with that matter and if not, then to list it for hearing on May 9.

The petition contended that "at present, Judge Advocate General Department of Indian Army recruits males (married/unmarried) and females (only unmarried) for serving in the Indian Army.

"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."

The petitioner has claimed in his plea that "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."

Petitioner Kush Kalra has also sought that the eligibility conditions prohibiting the entry of married female candidates in the JAG department be declared unconstitutional.

The petition, filed through advocate Jyotika Kalra, also states that aggrieved by the "discrimination against females", he had written a letter on September 19, 2015, to the Army requesting it to recruit married female candidates in the JAG department.

However, he had not received any reply the petition said.

The petition has also alleged "uneven distribution/ allocation of seats for women" in recruitment into JAG as vacancies advertised for men were 10 and only four for women.