RANJANA DEVI Vs. STATE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Subject matter involved in these writ petitions is - whether the married daughters/wards of Freedom Fighters are entitled to reservation in recruitment?

(2.) The facts in all the writ petitions are common. We deem it proper to take facts from CWP No. 4054 of 2019. The case of the petitioners, in brief, are that the State Government issued Notification on 29th November, 2019 for recruitment to the post of Staff Nurse (Ward of Ex-Servicemen) on Batch wise basis. According to the aforesaid Notification, married daughters of Ex-servicemen were excluded for being appointed against the post of Staff Nurse (Ward of Ex-servicemen).

(3.) The subject matter involved in these writ petitions was also the subject matter in various writ petitions before this Court, including CWPIL No. 114 of 2017, titled as Court on its own motion versus State of Himachal Pradesh & others. The said Public Interest Litigation was decided by a Co-ordinate Bench of this Court vide judgment dated 14th August, 2018, wherein it was held that the Policy of the State Government, confining benefits to the unmarried daughter alone, unlike married, is contrary to the provisions of Articles 14 & 15 of the Constitution of India and accordingly, the said Notification was quashed and set aside.