Physical Relationships before marriage are not a black mark : Supreme Court
In 2014, Gajula Thirupathi from Telangana had one big dream: he wanted to become a police officer. But that same year, a personal problem almost ruined his future.
Thirupathi was in a relationship with a woman from his neighborhood.
When the relationship broke up and they did not get married, things turned sour. The woman filed a police complaint against him for cheating and threats, claiming he broke his promise to marry her.
There were no allegations of sexual assault. Within a year, both sides decided to move on. In 2015, they went to a Lok Adalat, settled the matter peacefully, and closed the case.
Years later, the Telangana police announced jobs for constables. Thirupathi applied, passed the tough exams, and was selected for the job.
When filling out his background check forms, he stayed completely honest. He wrote down everything about the 2014 case and how it was settled.
He had no criminal record, had never been convicted, and the issue had been over for nearly ten years.
However, the Police Recruitment Board took a very strict view. They cancelled his selection. The Board argued that police officers must have a clean character. They claimed that because the case ended in a compromise instead of a full trial, it meant he was guilty. To them, a broken promise of marriage showed bad moral character.
Thirupathi did not give up. He took the Board to the Telangana High Court. The first judge ruled in his favor and told the Board to give him the job. But the Board appealed, and a higher bench of judges reversed the decision, saying the government has the final right to choose who is fit to join the police.
With his dream in danger, Thirupathi appealed to the Supreme Court of India.
The Supreme Court bench, consisting of Justice Manoj Misra and Justice Manmohan, looked at the case and strongly criticized the Recruitment Board's decision.
First, the Court said that settling a case does not mean a person is guilty. They called the Board's logic unfair, explaining that settling a dispute in a Lok Adalat is a proper legal method, not an admission of a crime.
Second, the judges stated that the Board was out of touch with modern society. They noted that relationships before marriage between consenting adults are common today.
The Court said hiring authorities must understand these social changes; just because a relationship ends without marriage does not mean a candidate has bad character.
Finally, the Court emphasized that while employers have the right to choose their staff, they cannot make biased or unfair decisions.
Since the woman had dropped the case a decade ago, there was no proof at all that Thirupathi had cheated or broken the law.
Supreme Court cleared Thirupathi’s name and ordered that he get his job back. The ruling made it clear that a person's past relationship cannot be used by the government to deny them a career.
ఫ్రెంచ్ ఓపెన్ లో సంచలన విజయం సాధించిన భారత సంతతి ఆటగాడు శ్రీ నిషేశ్ బసవరెడ్డికి ప్రత్యేక శుభాకాంక్షలు. వారి తల్లిదండ్రులు, నెల్లూరు జిల్లాకు చెందిన శ్రీమతి సాయి ప్రసన్న, శ్రీ మురళీకృష్ణ బసవరెడ్డి దంపతులకు అభినందనలు తెలియజేస్తున్నాను. అమెరికా తరుఫున శ్రీ నిషేశ్ సాధించిన ఈ విజయం భారతీయ యువతకు, ముఖ్యంగా తెలుగు వారికి గర్వకారణం. మన దేశపు బిడ్డ మరో దేశపు ఖ్యాతిని నిలబెట్టే స్థాయికి ఎదడగడం భారతీయులంతా గర్వించాల్సిన విషయం.