Caste certificate problems: Married women candidates allege exclusion from counseling for Graduate Teachers’ Recruiment

Udupi: Married women candidates, who have met all the qualifications to become government school graduate teachers, have alleged discrimination in the counseling process. Despite having cleared the teachers’ eligibility test and having all other qualifications, they have been excluded from the selection process due to caste certificates being in their father’s name, they claim.

According to the candidates, around 450 candidates from across the state, including 16 from Udupi district, find themselves in this predicament. Their names feature in the recruitment list, and all original documents have been submitted to the government. However, the persisting issue of caste certificates in their father’s name even after marriage continues to be a hurdle, they said.

“Why is this rule applicable only to married women candidates? This rule is not applicable to married male candidates. Not everything can go to court. As all our documents are with the government, we are not able to go for employment elsewhere. We are not even considered for recruitment counselling. The government should solve our problem immediately,” demanded one of the affected candidates.

The candidates said that a complaint has been filed in the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT), which ruled in favor of the candidates. This decision was subsequently upheld by the High Court. However, another group has now filed a writ petition in a two-judge bench of the High Court, further complicating the matter, they added.

The issue, according to the women, stems from the abolition of caste reservation for married women candidates who submitted their father’s caste/income certificate. The notification does not explicitly mention the rule preventing a married woman from using her father’s certificate, and no provision has been made for submitting the husband’s caste/income certificate, they said.

“We have approached the education department, but there has been no visible effort to address their concerns. The absence of reservation for married women has placed them in the general category, causing complications for backward class candidates,” they said.

Meanwhile, the candidates urged the government to address this matter urgently and rectify the injustice faced by married women candidates. They are calling for an opportunity to participate in teacher counseling based on merit.