The Supreme Court of India has ordered the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to pay 1.2 million rupees in compensation to a Haryana woman who was denied employment in 1988 on the basis of her gender. The ruling was delivered by a bench comprising Justices Arvind Kumar and Vipul M. Pancholi.
The petitioner, Sumitra, a Dalit woman from Karnal, had applied for a helper position at an IOC LPG bottling plant in 1988. Although she met all required qualifications and was included in a shortlist of 49 candidates, she was excluded from the final list of 43 selected individuals. The company subsequently informed her that she was denied the position because she was a woman, citing the nature of the work, the working environment, and the shift timings as unsuitable for female employees.
The Supreme Court criticized the public sector undertaking for its stance, stating that the refusal to hire the applicant solely based on her gender was an insult to womanhood. The court noted that women frequently handle heavy tasks, such as lifting and moving gas cylinders, in their daily lives. The bench remarked that in a country where women are traditionally revered, such discriminatory practices are unacceptable.
The legal battle spanned over three decades. Sumitra initially approached a trial court, which ruled in 1990 that she should be appointed to a position within the IOC. The company challenged this decision in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which set aside the trial court’s order in October 2025.
Represented by advocate Suryanath Pandey, Sumitra appealed to the Supreme Court. Given that the petitioner is now 63 years old and has long passed the age of retirement, the Supreme Court opted to award a one-time compensation of 1.2 million rupees rather than ordering her appointment. The court emphasized that the compensation serves as redress for the prolonged legal struggle and the discriminatory treatment she faced.
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