KANCHANA KUMARI Vs. STATE OF KERALA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioners who are women Mazdoors working in the Malampuzha Gardens under the 2nd respondent, are aggrieved by the gender discrimination meted out to them in allotting work.

(2.) The case of the petitioners is that there are 280 women Mazdoors in the live register of casual labourers under the 2nd respondent in the Malampuzha Dam. The number of male workers under the 2nd respondent is only 130. The petitioners commenced their service under the 2nd respondent on various dates and years starting from 1996. Several of them are continuing with intermittent breaks.

(3.) It is pointed out that, even though the nature of job undertaken by both male and female workers is the same and though the wages paid are also at the same rates, the women workers are discriminated in allotment of work. It is also stated that, Mazdoors are engaged on batch basis and there would be two batches in a month. It is pointed out that, there would be 106 persons in each of the batch which would consist of 67 male workers and 39 women workers. They will work for 13 days and thereafter they would be replaced by the next batch for another 13 days. Thus, 67 male and 39 female workers work for 26 days in a month.