The Bombay High Court recently scrutinized and criticized the varying height prerequisites for female candidates applying for positions in the fire brigade across different municipal corporations in Maharashtra. The court condemned the disparity, deeming it discriminatory and arbitrary.
A Division Bench comprising Justices G.S. Kulkarni and Jitendra Jain highlighted the incongruity of having distinct height criteria for the same role, particularly in the context of female applicants. It stressed that such differing standards might result in bias and undue disadvantage for women candidates. This remark came during the hearing of a petition filed by four women aspiring to join Pune's fire brigade.
The petitioners contested the mandated minimum height requirement of 162 centimeters for women candidates, which was enforced by the Pune Municipal Corporation. The Maharashtra Fire Brigade Service Administration maintains a consistent minimum height of 157 centimeters for female candidates, while the municipal bodies of Pune, Mumbai, Thane, and Nagpur have established the height criterion at 162 centimeters, leading to disparities in the application process.
The court explicitly labelled these discrepancies as "apparent discrimination." It firmly expressed that the arbitrary nature of these regulations might disproportionately affect female candidates and must be rectified to ensure fairness in the selection process.
In an interim order issued on October 26, the High Court directed the Pune Municipal Corporation to allow the petitioners to participate in the selection process despite the height requirement discrepancy. However, the court specified that the final judgment on the matter would determine the eligibility and selection process of the female applicants in consideration.
This legal intervention by the Bombay High Court represents a significant move toward advocating fairness and equality, especially in the context of gender-based criteria in employment, emphasizing the need for standardized rules that do not unfairly disadvantage women applicants.
