Gender no bar to promotion, rules Tripura High Court

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, July 3, 2026

The Tripura High Court has ruled that gender cannot be used as a ground to deny promotion and directed the state authorities to reconsider the promotion of a woman jailor to the post of Deputy Superintendent (Home) Jail within three months.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Biswajit Palit quashed a communication issued by the Inspector General of Prisons on May 1, 2025, rejecting the officer's promotion claim. The court held that the decision violated the principles of natural justice and was not supported by the applicable recruitment rules.

The petitioner joined the Home (Jail) Department as a Female Sub-Jailor through the Tripura Public Service Commission in 1997 and was promoted to Jailor in 2018 after an earlier High Court order. After completing five years in the post, she became eligible for promotion to Deputy Superintendent under the existing recruitment rules.

The court observed that the rules make no distinction between male and female jailors for promotion. It further noted that there was no adverse material regarding her service record and held that her promotional prospects could not be curtailed merely because she is a woman.

During the hearing, the petitioner relied on the Supreme Court's landmark judgment in the Secretary, Ministry of Defence v. Babita Puniya case to support her claim. The court directed the authorities to decide her case afresh, subject to her fulfilling all eligibility criteria.

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