Air India, a state-owned company, required female flight attendants to retire under three circumstances: (1) upon reaching 35 years of age, with possible extensions up to 45 at the Managing Director’s discretion (2) upon getting married within the first four years of service, or (3) upon first pregnancy. In Air India v.
In Bachpan Bachao Andolan v. Union of India & Others, the non-governmental organization Bachpan Bachao Andolan petitioned the Supreme Court of India to address the use of child performers in traveling circuses. A study revealed that children were being trafficked from Nepal or taken from their homes, forced to work as child laborers, and subjected to mental, physical, and sexual abuse.
A woman was kidnapped and gang-raped by four men who were in a financial dispute with her father. Although the police dismissed the complaint as fabricated due to the ongoing litigation, the victim filed a private complaint. The Supreme Court of India held that the father's disputes with the accused were not sufficient to discredit the victim’s consistent and medically corroborated testimony, and upheld the convictions.
A husband stabbed his wife in the abdomen during a sudden quarrel, leading to her death. He was convicted under Section 302 IPC (murder) and sentenced to life imprisonment by the trial court. He appealed the sentence, claiming that the record clearly establishes that he only delivered a single blow to his wife in a sudden quarrel, and therefore conviction under Section 302 is not proper. His appeal was dismissed by the High Court.
In CEHAT v. Union of India, the health and gender justice NGO CEHAT, along with other petitioners, filed public interest litigation challenging the government’s failure to effectively implement the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994. They contended that inadequate enforcement had contributed to increasing sex-selective abortions and a declining child sex ratio in India.
Vimmi Joshi was the principal of a public school who alleged her superior had sent her love letters and made sexual advances towards her. She brought a complaint to the School Managing Committee and was asked to bring the complaint in writing. Subsequently, the Committee received two anonymous complaints against Joshi and her employment was terminated. She challenged the termination claiming sexual harassment. The High Court held that this was a clear case of sexual harassment and ordered disciplinary actions to be taken.
In Delhi Domestic Working Women’s Forum v. Union of India, six women were sexually assaulted and raped on a commuter train. The Supreme Court established new requirements for police in handling rape cases, including providing victims with legal representation, informing them of all their rights before questioning, and protecting their anonymity during trial.
In Golla Yelugu Govindu v. State of Andhra Pradesh, a fourteen-year marriage ended after the husband became addicted to vices, assaulted his wife, and demanded money from her parents. During a quarrel, in the presence of their children, he killed her by striking her back and neck with a sickle. The trial court convicted him of murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
In Hariharan Rajendran v. Reserve Bank of India, the petitioner, a married mother with a minor son, applied to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for bonds to be issued in her son’s name, signing as his guardian.
In the case Kakkad v. Dubey, a man had attempted to have vaginal intercourse with an eight-year-old girl. Although medical evidence showed that her hymen was intact and there was no full penetration, the Supreme Court held that even the slightest penetration is sufficient to constitute rape under Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code as it stood at the time. The Court emphasized that the rupture of the hymen or visible injuries are not necessary to prove the offense.
