The Telangana High Court struck down a rule in the Telangana Jail Service Rules, calling it unfair to deny woman deputy superintendents of jail an opportunity to become superintendent.
On August 17, 1996, the government order for the AP Jail Service Rules expressly bar women officers from becoming jail superintendents.
It states that deputy superintendents of jails are eligible for becoming jail superintendents through promotion and there is no mention of women deputy superintendents in the rules.
After hearing a petition filed by T Venkatalakshmi Srinadh, deputy superintendent (women), Warangal central prison, a bench of Justice A Rajasheker Reddy and Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma struck down the government order to the extent of this incompatible rule.
The bench was directed to consider the case of the petitioner for promotion as superintendent by conducting a special departmental promotion committee meet. Senior counsel G Vidya Sagar expressed that it was unfair for the petitioner who has all the qualifications and service credentials, to be removed from the zone of consideration, just because she happened to be a woman officer.
“She has been rendering her service as in-charge superintendent of the women prison for the last two years. But she is not even considered for the regular promotion,” he said.
As directed by the Bench, allowances and arrears will be paid to her by the prison authorities for the two years of service rendered by her.
