Now Reading: Kerala High Court strikes down ban on women in toddy shops
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Kerala High Court strikes down ban on women in toddy shops
The Story in Brief
The Kerala High Court on Thursday, 29 October struck down Rule 7(37) of the Kerala Abkari Shops Disposal Rules, 2002, which prohibited women from being employed in any capacity in toddy shops. Justice P. Gopinath declared the rule unconstitutional, violating Articles 14, 15, 19 and 21 of the Constitution, relying on the Supreme Court's decision in Anuj Garg v. Hotel Association of India.
The court was hearing a petition by Sophy, a 47-year-old woman from Thrissur who sought compassionate appointment after her husband died in 2024. The state government argued the rule was meant to protect women from exploitation and harassment in remote shops. The court held that the state cannot fulfil its safety obligations by denying women the right to choose their profession, and must ensure safe working conditions instead.
The ruling removes the legal bar but does not guarantee employment for any individual woman. The court ordered that Sophy's claim for compassionate appointment be considered afresh without the struck-down rule.
Indian Opinion Analysis
livelaw.in and news9live.com both report the same ruling neutrally, with near-identical coverage of the court's reasoning and the government's defence. livelaw.in adds the petitioner's citation of prior judgments and the court's distinction from cases cited by the state, while news9live.com omits those legal details but includes the court's observation on similar earlier rulings. On stance, both outlets are neutral-report: neither frames the verdict as a victory or a failure beyond the court's own language. The state's argument that the rule protected women from exploitation is reported verbatim in both, without endorsement or criticism. The balanced takeaway is that the court rejected a blanket gender-based ban, directing the government to ensure safety instead. The ruling does not mandate jobs for individual women, only removes a legal bar.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): news9live.com (neutral report), livelaw.in (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
