Kerala High Court: Bar on waitresses in bars illegal
The petitioners argued that the order was sexist as the government had refused to allow women to work in bars
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-08-19 05:10 GMT
Kochi: Kerala High Court has held that the prohibition order imposed on women working as waitresses in bar hotels is unconstitutional.
Justice Dama Seshadri Naidu issued the order on a plea filed by two waitresses (restaurant assistants), who lost their jobs at a star hotel in Thiruvananthapuram, seeking to revoke the prohibition imposed by the state.
The petitioners argued that the order was sexist as the government had refused to allow women to work in bars. The hotel fired them after the government imposed the ban in December 2013, they argued.
The court said that the apex court in an earlier order had held that there was nothing wrong in employing women as waitresses in bars.
It said the government order amounted to violation of Article 14 (Right to equality before law) and Article 16 (Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment).