Legal Milestone: High Court Directs KPSC to Set Up Exam Center for Pregnant Candidate
1. The Petition and Judicial Intervention A 31-year-old candidate from Kalaburagi, Mahalaxmi , who is in an advanced stage of pregnancy, approached the Karnataka High Court after the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) refused her request to write the Gazetted Probationers (Group A & B) main examinations in her hometown. The KPSC had originally designated centers only in Bengaluru and Dharwad for the exams scheduled between April 15 and 19 . 2. The Court’s Scathing Observation Justice Dr. Chillakur Sumalatha , while hearing the petition, strongly criticized the KPSC's argument that setting up a center for a single candidate would be a "waste of public money" and "logistically difficult. " Constitutional Rights: The court ruled that denying an opportunity to a deserving candidate due to pregnancy violates Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality and special provisions for women. Planning vs. Waste: The judge rema...