New Delhi, July 31: The Supreme Court has ruled that a married daughter cannot be denied consideration for compassionate appointment merely because a state government policy allows such appointments only to divorced or deserted daughters, holding that such a classification is unconstitutional and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution.

A Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale allowed an appeal filed by Sayara Khatoon and her daughter against a Patna High Court order, which had upheld the rejection of the daughter’s claim for compassionate appointment following the death of her father.

The appellants had questioned the Bihar government’s December 10, 2014 policy, under which only a divorced or deserted daughter is eligible for compassionate appointment.

The state government had also rejected the claim on the ground that the deceased employee’s brother had objected to the appointment.

However, the Supreme Court recorded that the brother had earlier furnished a no-objection certificate, observing that “the said ground for rejection no longer survives”.

On the policy restricting compassionate appointment to divorced or deserted daughters, the Justice Sundresh-led Bench held that any distinction between sons and daughters in such matters is constitutionally impermissible.

“This Court has repeatedly held that any classification differentiating a daughter from a son is, per se, unconstitutional,” the apex court said.

It added that “classification restricting eligibility only to a divorced or deserted daughter cannot be sustained in the eye of law”.

Rejecting the presumption underlying the Bihar government’s policy, the Supreme Court observed: “There cannot be a presumption in law that, after marriage, a daughter severs her ties with her parental family and resides with her husband in her matrimonial home.”

The order noted that the appellant had specifically stated that although her divorce had not been formally recognised in law, she had been living with her parental family and enjoyed the support of her mother and brother.

“In any event, adopting a hyper-technical approach cannot be a ground to deny consideration of her claim for compassionate appointment,” the bench said.

Setting aside the Patna High Court’s order as well as the rejection of the compassionate appointment claim, the apex court directed the Bihar authorities to reconsider the appellant’s case on merits.

“The respondent (Bihar government) is directed to consider the case of the appellant for compassionate appointment on merits within a period of eight weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order,” it ordered.

New Delhi, July 31: Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Friday responded to a question regarding the plight of families of Delhi Police personnel injured during the July 20 student march from Jantar Mantar to Parliament with a remark, “Are you from the BJP?”

Many families of Delhi Police personnel who sustained injuries during the clashes with protesting students on July 20 held a press conference earlier in the day, recounting their ordeal and personal hardships they underwent during the troubling hours.

They also demanded answers from those politicising the violence in favour of the protesting groups and sought justice for their family.

When a scribe questioned Rahul Gandhi on the Parliament premises, seeking his response to the press conference where the cops’ families shared their complaints and travails, the LoP snapped at him, asking, “Bhaiya, are you from the BJP?”

Rahul Gandhi’s response, seen as insensitive and indifferent to Delhi police personnel, comes after the families shared personal accounts of their sufferings, in the wake of violence inflicted on the injured personnel and questioned why their agony was being overlooked at the cost of protesters, many of whom have a ‘criminal past’.

According to reports, more than 200 police personnel were injured, some of them grievously, when the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march helmed by Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) turned violent, leading to stone-pelting and violence against the police by the protesting groups, which, as reports, were infiltrated by miscreants and those with criminal antecedents.

As the families of Delhi Police personnel injured in violent clashes during the July 20 students’ stir demanded justice in the press conference, the issue also snowballed into a political controversy with Congress and BJP firing salvos at each other.

A noted Opposition leader accused the government of hatching a plot to pit cops against the students to deflect attention from the brutality inflicted on them, while BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad questioned the former’s sensitivity regarding police and their families.

Speaking to the media, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “The attack on police personnel and the injuries they sustained is a matter where we should show sensitivity. They also have families, they also have children, and they also have human rights.”

“We respect the youth, but if criminals are involved behind such protests and are involved in attacking police personnel, then it raises serious questions,” he stated.

New Delhi, July 31: Passengers travelling by train can now book and pay for excess luggage online while reserving their tickets, as Indian Railways on Friday rolled out a new digital facility aimed at making the travel process more convenient.

The service integrates excess luggage booking with the online ticket reservation system, eliminating the need for passengers to visit parcel offices separately before boarding.

Previously, travellers carrying baggage beyond the free allowance had to complete a separate booking process at railway parcel counters, often leading to additional paperwork and long queues.

The online excess luggage booking facility is available only to passengers holding confirmed tickets and is restricted to travel classes where carrying luggage beyond the free allowance is permitted upon payment of the prescribed charges.

Passengers travelling in AC First Class, AC 2-Tier, First Class, Sleeper Class and Second Class can avail of the service.

However, those travelling in AC 3-Tier and AC Chair Car will not be eligible, as the maximum permissible baggage limit in these classes is the same as the free luggage allowance.

Under the existing baggage rules, AC First Class passengers are entitled to carry up to 70 kg free of charge and can carry a maximum of 150 kg after paying excess luggage charges.

Passengers in AC 2-Tier and First Class are allowed 50 kg free, with a maximum permissible limit of 100 kg.

Sleeper Class passengers can carry 40 kg free and up to 80 kg in total, while Second Class passengers have a free allowance of 35 kg and a maximum limit of 70 kg.

In contrast, AC 3-Tier and AC Chair Car passengers can carry up to 40 kg, which also serves as the maximum permissible limit.

Indian Railways has clarified that passengers carrying baggage beyond the free allowance but within the prescribed maximum limits will be required to pay applicable excess luggage charges.

Apart from weight restrictions, the Railways also enforces size limits for luggage carried inside passenger coaches.

Trunks, suitcases and boxes measuring up to 100 cm × 60 cm × 25 cm are generally permitted inside compartments.

However, passengers travelling in AC 3-Tier and AC Chair Car coaches must adhere to a smaller size limit of 55 cm × 45 cm × 22.5 cm.