July 1, 2024 -- India's human rights panel, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), on Monday issued notices to the federal government and local government of the southern state of Tamil Nadu over alleged discrimination by Foxconn India, a major manufacturer of Apple products, that it barred married women from jobs.

The panel said it has taken cognizance of the media reports that Foxconn India at its iPhone assembly plant in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, systematically excluded married women from jobs.

"The commission has observed that the contents of the media reports, if true, raise a serious issue of discrimination against married women causing the violation of the right to equality and equal opportunity," the panel said, adding that it has issued notices to the secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Employment and the chief secretary of the government of Tamil Nadu calling for a detailed report in the matter within one week.

The NHRC said the state must ensure that all companies follow norms, regulations and related labor laws, including the rights to health, dignity and equality.

Last week, media reports disclosed that jobseekers in the company were contacted between January 2023 and May this year leading to the disclosure that only unmarried women were eligible for assembly jobs, despite no mention of any such policy in the company's advertisements.