After 14 Yrs Of Litigation, Govt Sanctions Permanent Commission To Women Officers In Indian Army

Government's decision came days after the Supreme Court of India had given the Centre one month’s time to follow its directive on proposing permanent commission to all serving SSC women officers in the Indian Army.

Indian women army cadets march during their graduation ceremony at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai. (File Photo/ AFP)

New Delhi: In what comes as most of the most significant developments, the Ministry of Defence on Thursday issued an order for grant of permanent commission of women officers in the armed forces. The move will further pave way for empowering women officers to shoulder larger roles in the Army. As per report, government's decision came days after the Supreme Court of India had given the Centre one month’s time to follow its directive on proposing permanent commission to all serving SSC women officers in the Indian Army. The Indian Army then had stated that all women officers serving in the force from now on would be considered for permanent commission. "The order specifies grant of permanent commission to Short Service Commissioned (SSC) women officers in all 10 streams of the Indian Army,"  Army Spokesperson Col Aman Anand said. The order specifies grant of Permanent Commission to Short Service Commissioned (SSC) Women Officers in all 10 streams of the Indian Army - Army Air Defence (AAD), Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), Army Service Corps (ASC), Army Ordnance Corps (AOC), and Intelligence Corps in addition to the existing streams of Judge and Advocate General (JAG) and Army Educational Corps (AEC). "Their selection board will be scheduled as soon as all affected SSC women officers exercise their option and complete requisite documentation," he said. In anticipation, the Army Headquarters had set in motion a series of preparatory actions for conduct of the Permanent Commission Selection Board for affected women officers. The Selection Board will be scheduled as soon as all affected short service commission women officers exercise their option and complete requisite documentation. Earlier this month, the Centre sought six months' time frame from top court to comply with its verdict granting permanent commission to eligible women officers in the army and also making provisions for them in command posts. Seeking an extension the Centre prayed before the apex court, "This court may kindly be pleased to extend the period of three months granted to the applicant, to comply with the judgement and order on February 17, by a further period of 6 months." This verdict had come 14 years after 11 women officers initiated the litigation in the Delhi High Court. Senior advocates Meenakshi Lekhi and Meenakshi Arora, representing women officers, had contended before the top court that the government was attempting to overextend the verdict. The women officers through their advocates submitted before the bench that the physical standard criteria, which was discontinued by the army in 2011, has been reintroduced and this would eventually deny benefits of the permanent commission to women officers, being in service for 10 years and more. And these criteria would eventually defeat the purpose of the verdict, contended the advocates for the women officers. This process would eventually lead to a 40 or a 45-year-old woman officer physically competing with her male counterparts, added the advocates. The Centre's counsel assured the bench that the government will comply with the court orders in letter and spirit.