Kerala High Court strikes down rule barring women from toddy shops
The ruling allows women to work in the sector after a widow challenged a law that prohibited their employment.
The Kerala High Court has struck down a clause that prevented women from working in toddy shops, ruling that the provision violated principles of equality, according to The Indian Express.
The decision follows a petition by Sophy Kunjupalu, a widow from Ponjanam in Thrissur district, who sought employment at a shop in the Irinjalakuda toddy range in July 2024.
Kunjupalu had previously been turned away because Rule 7(37) of the Kerala Abkari Shops and Disposal Rules, 2002, prohibited the employment of women in such establishments.
The state government opposed the petition, arguing that shops are often in remote locations and the rule was intended to safeguard the safety and well-being of women.
Justice P Gopinath stated that the state's responsibility to ensure safety cannot be achieved by prohibiting women from working in any industry they choose.
The court noted that instead of a total prohibition, the state should focus on ensuring safety and eliminating unequal consequences of sex differences.
Kerala Toddy Workers Welfare Fund Board chairperson N V Chandrababu said Kunjupalu will be the first woman to work at a toddy shop, noting there are 4,324 shops and 21,000 workers in the state.