The Allahabad High Court has clarified that the term “family” under service rules cannot be stretched to include a sister-in-law who resides separately.
The case stemmed from a dispute over the cancellation of an anganwadi worker’s appointment in Bareilly. The district programme officer had set aside her appointment in June 2025, mentioning that her sister-in-law was already employed as an anganwadi assistant in the same block. The Government Order prohibits two women from the same family from being posted at the same anganwadi centre.
The petitioner contested the cancellation by arguing that her sister-in-law resided in a separate house with a different number and therefore could not be regarded as part of her family. To support this claim, her counsel produced entries from the family register, establishing that the petitioner’s husband maintained an independent household. It was further submitted that even under the Civil Procedure Code, the definition of family is confined to a husband, wife, and their children.
Justice Ajit Kumar found merit in the submissions and clarified that “A sister-in-law can be considered to be a member of the family provided both brothers are living together having a common kitchen and house.” As this was not the case, the Court held that the officer’s order cancelling the petitioner’s appointment had no legal basis.
While allowing the plea on August 12, the Court directed the reinstatement of the petitioner as an anganwadi worker with full salary and consequential benefits, including arrears for the period she was kept out of service.
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