Chennai:  In what can be considered as a strong step towards women’s equality, the Madras High Court has now said that married daughter of a government employee is eligible for a job on compassionate grounds after the death of her father while in service.
These don’t come unconditionally, though. The daughter should fulfil two requirements, the court said. One, she must obtain a no-objection certificate from other siblings; two, she and her husband must give an undertaking that she will take care of other members of her parents’ family from her salary.
An order was passed by a division bench of Justice Satish K Agnihotri and Justice M Venugopal, while dealing with a case of I Kayalvizhi, whose father V Indarjith had died while in service in the education department.
“A married daughter is eligible for consideration, subject to submission of no-objection certificate of other members of the deceased’s family and also with an undertaking from her and her husband that she will take care of other members of the parents’ family,” the bench said.
Kayalvizhi was the only daughter of Indarjith and she was married when he died in service. When she applied for appointment under compassionate grounds, she was denied, and that’s when she moved the high court. Citing a government order governing the issue, a single judge said she was entitled to be considered for the job. Her marriage alone need not necessarily disentitle her from claiming the job, as marriage is not a disqualification, the judge said.
Assailing the order, the assistant primary education officer in Anthiyur in Erode district filed the present appeal before the bench.
(with agency inputs)