NationalSunday, 20 September 2026·Hindu Tamil Thisai
Supreme Court on gender discrimination in public sector jobs: ₹12 lakh compensation to Sumithra
The Supreme Court held that denying a job solely because a candidate is a woman is an affront to dignity and ordered ₹12 lakh compensation to Sumithra.
Key highlights
Direct fact
In September 2026, the Supreme Court ordered ₹12 lakh compensation to Sumithra in a 35-year-old dispute over an Indian Oil Corporation gas-filling station job in Karnal, Haryana.
Key specifics
- Sumithra was recommended for a gas-filling station job in Kutta village, Karnal district, in 1998.
- Out of 49 recommended candidates, 43 were given jobs, but Sumithra was denied employment by IOC.
- The Supreme Court bench included Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M. Pancholi.
- The Punjab and Haryana High Court had upheld the earlier decision in October 2025.
- The Court refused settlement, citing the 35-year delay and the facts of the case, and instead fixed ₹12 lakh as compensation.
Exam lens
Question type: Polity-judiciary and gender equality, key facts: Article-based dignity principle, IOC, Karnal, 1998, October 2025, ₹12 lakh. TNPSC one-liner: remember the Court’s stand that gender alone cannot be a ground to deny public-sector employment.