The Rajasthan High Court has quashed a condition imposed by the State government requiring women to be married for getting appointed as Anganwadi workers in the Women and Child Development Department. The court said denial of job to an unmarried woman violated her right to equal opportunity in public employment.
An unmarried woman, Madhu, had challenged a circular of 2016 and an advertisement of 2019 laying down the marital status as an eligibility criterion for the job. In her writ petition, Ms. Madhu contended that such a condition was “irrational and discriminatory” and violated the fundamental rights of unmarried candidates.
On the other hand, the State government sought to defend the condition, saying that an Anganwadi worker, after being appointed, could get married and shift to her marital home located at a different place. This would hamper the working of Anganwadi centres functioning mostly in the villages, Additional Advocate-General Anil Gaur said.
