NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has ruled that pregnancy is neither an illness nor a disability and should not be the grounds to deny government employment to a woman. The HC reprimanded the Railway Protection Force (RPF) for denying a pregnant woman’s request to defer her Physical Efficiency Test (PET) for a constable position.
A division bench of justices Rekha Palli and Shalinder Kaur expressed strong disapproval of the way the RPF and the Centre treated the woman. “It appears that the respondents have treated pregnancy as though it were a sickness or a disability on account of which women could be ousted from the selection process,” the HC observed. “In our view, motherhood should never and can never be the basis for denying public employment opportunities,” it said.
The HC said the RPF could have easily postponed PET for the petitioner, who had informed officials about her pregnancy and her inability to perform high and long jump.
The HC directed the RPF to conduct the woman’s tests and document verification within 6 weeks. If she fulfills the eligibility criteria, the HC ordered her appointment to the post of constable with retrospective seniority and other benefits.
“Discrimination based on pregnancy should never hinder a woman’s right to pursue career aspirations,” the HC said.