Indian Oil Corporation had refused to appoint Sumitra on the ground that a “woman cannot lift cylinders”. The Supreme Court strongly criticised this reasoning and questioned whether women cannot lift LPG cylinders. The court described the decision to deny her employment on the basis of her gender as an insult to womanhood.
A bench of Justice Arvind Kumar and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi came down heavily on the corporation, observing that refusing employment solely because a candidate is a woman amounts to an insult to womanhood.
The matter involved Sumitra, a resident of Gudha village in Haryana. She was among 49 people recommended by a local committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner for positions as refilling helpers or casual khalasis at the LPG bottling plant. However, she was denied appointment solely because she was a woman.
During the proceedings, IOC's lawyer argued that the work involved lifting heavy LPG cylinders and included night shifts, and that this may have been why officials did not consider the woman suitable for the position.
The Supreme Court questioned this reasoning, pointing out that women themselves lift and replace gas cylinders in their homes during both the day and night.
The court ultimately decided against directing IOC to provide the job because Sumitra has now reached the age of retirement. Considering the long legal battle and her having crossed retirement age, the Supreme Court considered it appropriate to award her a one-time compensation of ₹12 lakh instead of ordering her appointment.
Sumitra's case has thus ended with monetary compensation after she was denied the LPG bottling plant position despite being among the candidates recommended by the local committee. The Supreme Court's order addresses the employment dispute at a stage when she is already beyond the age at which she could take up the job.
The case involved a prolonged legal battle over her exclusion from employment on the basis of her gender, with the court ultimately directing Indian Oil Corporation to pay ₹12 lakh in compensation.
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