Terminating a woman’s employment on the grounds of marriage was “coarse case of gender discrimination” and any law based on a gender bias is “constitutionally impermissible”, the Supreme Court has said, ordering the Centre to pay Rs 60 lakh in dues to a military nurse who was removed from service after she married.

A bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Dutta passed the order on a request by Selina John, who was terminated from service upon her marriage in 1988. At the time, she held the rank of Lieutenant. She had approached the Armed Forces Tribunal in 2012, which ruled in her favour and ordered that she be reinstated. In 2019, however, the Centre appealed against the order in the Supreme Court.

In an order dated February 14, the bench held that the tribunal judgment does not require any interference. A rule introduced in 1977 that allowed dismissal from the Military Nursing Service on the grounds of marriage had been withdrawn in 1995, the court noted.

“Such rule was ex facie manifestly arbitrary, as terminating employment because the woman has got married is a coarse case of gender discrimination and inequality. Acceptance of such patriarchal rule undermines human dignity, right to non-discrimination and fair treatment. Laws and regulations based on gender-based bias are constitutionally impermissible. Rules making marriage of women employees and their domestic involvement a ground for disentitlement would be unconstitutional,” the bench said in the order.

The bench, however, modified the tribunal’s ruling to reinstate the employee and provide back wages. Instead, it asked the Centre to pay Rs 60 lakh in compensation. The bench also noted that LJohn had worked as a nurse in a private organisation for a short time. The court said the payment of compensation must be made within eight weeks of the Centre receiving the order.

Rakul Preet Singh and Jackky Bhagnani are all set to tie the knot today. As per reports, the couple will have two wedding ceremonies.

The pre-wedding festivities kicked off in Goa with a haldi ceremony. Rakul Preet Singh and Jackky Bhagnani celebrated with mehendi and sangeet ceremonies, featuring unique performances by their friends and family.

A picture that has gone viral from the couple’s sangeet sees Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar, Samiksha Pednekar, Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra and Tahira Kashyap posing together for the camera.

Varun Dhawan showcased his dance moves to the song Husn Hai Suhana from Coolie No. 1 at the sangeet. Shilpa Shetty also took the stage for a performance with her husband Raj Kundra.

Check it out here:

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra’s amazing dance moves at Sangeet Ceremony of RakulPreet Singh and Jackky Bhagnani in Goa 💥♥ï¸ÂÂÂ�#ShilpaShetty #RakulPreetSingh #JackkyBhagnani #Bollywood #Goa pic.twitter.com/8VayDzgrLh

— cine_sdn (@sdn789_) February 21, 2024

As per reports, Rakul Preet Singh and Jackky Bhagnani have planned to have an eco-friendly wedding.

The struggling INDIA bloc received a welcome boost Wednesday after Samajwadi Party boss Akhilesh Yadav suggested seat-share talks with the Congress – for Uttar Pradesh’s 80 Lok Sabha seats – were nearly completed.

This, sources said, comes a day after Akhilesh Yadav gave the Congress an ultimatum of sorts – ‘complete seat-share talks or I won’t participate in the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra”.

“All is well that ends well. Yes, there will be an alliance… there is no conflict. Everything will be clear soon,” a smiling Mr Yadav said. Congress’ General Secretary, Avinash Pandey, told NDTV, “We are awaiting confirmation from Congress President (Mallikarjun Kharge)… we agreed to change some seats in the interest of the alliance.”

Sources told NDTV that Mr Yadav’s party will contest 62 seats, with 17 reserved for the Congress and one left to Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party. There are, though, some sticking points.

The Congress is understood to want 19 but has agreed to give up Moradabad, which was won by the Samajwadi Party’s ST Hasan in 2019. In return, the Samajwadi Party will withdraw its demand for Varanasi, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s constituency. The two may also swap Sitapur and Hathras. And the Samajwadi Party has been offered Bulandshahr or Mathura in exchange for Shravasti.

A final announcement is expected at 5 pm or by Thursday latest, sources added.

Talks between the two – seen as a barometer of INDIA’s ability to mount a sustained challenge to the BJP’s formidable poll-winning machinery – have been under scrutiny over the past few days, particularly after the Congress-AAP won the Chandigarh mayoral election to mark the bloc’s first electoral win.

READ | AAP Wins Chandigarh Mayor Poll, Top Court Cancels Earlier Result

As recently as this week it looked like there could be no deal, till Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stepped in.

Congress sources said Ms Gandhi Vadra – who might, rumours say, make her electoral debut in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, from the Raebareli seat vacated by Sonia Gandhi – made it happen.

READ | Nitish Kumar, Priyanka Gandhi’s Names Proposed For This Big Challenge

She reportedly worked out the details and reached out to Mr Yadav and Rahul Gandhi, whose ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ is now in UP, to get their approval.

Sources also said Sonia Gandhi – whose Lok Sabha-to-Rajya Sabha switch led to talk of a leadership shift in the party, with greater emphasis on Ms Gandhi Vadra – also played a key role, helping state leaders recognise some demands as “unreasonable” and “unrealistic” given her party’s dismal performances in the 2014 and 2019 elections, when the Congress won less than 100 Lok Sabha seats.

READ | After Sonia Gandhi’s Rajya Sabha Shift, Buzz Around Her Raebareli Seat

Also, in the 2022 UP Assembly election, the Congress won just two seats. The Samajwadi Party won 111.

The news comes as a big boost for the grouping that has struggled for cohesion since it was formed in June last year, with disagreements over seat-sharing high on the list of problems to be overcome.

The bloc, led by the Congress, has already seen the exit of Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) boss Nitish Kumar and is almost certain to also lose Jayant Chaudhary’s Rashtriya Lok Dal in UP. 

READ | “Had Limited Time To Make Decision…”: RLD Leader On BJP Alliance Buzz

Nitish Kumar has allied with the BJP and Jayant Chaudhary is expected to follow.

And over in Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress said it plans to contest the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats on its own, after persistent criticism of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by the Congress’ Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

READ | “No Tie-Up With Congress”: Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal Twist Stuns INDIA Bloc

In Punjab, where the Congress was beaten by the AAP in the last election, the two have been unable to agree a seat-share deal. The hope, though, is that the mayoral election win will have a positive impact.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.