India, May 7 -- New Delhi The Supreme Court on Monday gave the Uttar Pradesh government a rap on the knuckles for approving a peculiar regulation mandating that the wife of the district magistrate (DM) of Bulandshahr should serve as president of registered societies in the district, calling the norm "atrocious" and "humiliating for all women in the state". Questioning the regulation, a bench of justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan slammed the odd requirement, questioning its relevance and practicality in today's day and age.

"Be it the Red Cross Society or a child welfare society, everywhere wife of the officiating DM is the president. Why does this have to be done? It appears to us that the state is trying to monopolise everything," t...