Supreme Court rejects plea against two-child norm in Rajasthan

The Supreme Court has upheld Rajasthan's 1989 law that deems people with more than two children ineligible government jobs.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Dutta and KV Vishwanathan said the rule is non-discriminatory and rejected an appeal filed by an ex-serviceman Ram Lal Jat.

The petitioner's application to a constable's post in Rajasthan on May 25, 2018 was rejected as he had more than two children.

Ram Lal Jat moved the Supreme Court after the Rajasthan High Court, on October 12, 2022, dismissed his petition.

The bench, led by Justice Kant said, "A somewhat similar provision, which was introduced as an eligibility condition to contest panchayat elections, has been upheld by the SC in the case Javed and others vs. State of Haryana in 2003. This court held that the classification, which disqualifies candidates for having more than two living children, was non-discriminatory and intra-vires the Constitution, since the objective behind the provision was to promote family planning."

The apex court refused "to interfere" with the policy.

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