Why only 19 female candidates out of 400 in NDA: SC seeks Centre's response

The candidates who will take the NDA exam in 2022, will be admitted in 2023

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to explain why only 19 women candidates would be admitted in the National Defence Academy (NDA) out of 400 seats in 2023.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M M Sundresh told Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, that the government needs to clarify why only 19 women candidates have been fixed for the year 2023, according to the notification issued by UPSC.

The bench asked the central government to bring on record the total number of women candidates, along with the overall tally, who took the NDA examination in 2021 and entrance tests for Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) and Rashtriya Military School (RMS).

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"The figure is the same as for the 2021 test. Last year, you said that it was due to infrastructure problems that the intake of women will be less. Now, again for the year 2022, you have proposed to take the same number of women candidates. Why have you fixed this figure? You have to explain this. 19 seats cannot be for all times to come. It was only an ad hoc measure," the bench told Bharti.

The apex court gave three weeks to the Centre to file an affidavit and asked the parties to file their rejoinder two weeks thereafter and listed the matter for further hearing on March 6.

At the outset, senior advocate Chinmoy Pradip Sharma, appearing for petitioner Kush Kalra, said they have filed an additional affidavit stating that on November 14, 2021, the NDA exam was held and 8,009 candidates qualified for the Service Selection Board test and medical tests, out of which 1,002 candidates were women and 7,007 men.

He said that as per the information made available in the advertisement issued by UPSC and by the government, NDA will take in 400 cadets in the current NDA-II 2021 intake.

Of these, 208 candidates, including 10 women, will go to the Army. The Navy will take in 42 candidates including 3 women, while the IAF will admit 120 candidates, of which 6 will be women. Thus, the total number of women to be inducted into the NDA in June 2022 is 19, Sharma said.

He added that surprisingly, in the examination notice dated December 22, 2021, issued by UPSC for the NDA-I 2022 examination to be held on April 10, 2022 (induction on January 2, 2023), out of a total of 400 vacancies, the number of vacancies for women in the Army is shown as 10, Navy 3, and Air Force 6 (two each in flying, ground duties [tech] and ground duties [non-tech].

Sharma said that it can be seen from the reading of the Examination Notice December 22, 2021, that the number of women candidates to be inducted in January 2023 continues to remain at 19.

He said that in the affidavit dated September 20, 2021, filed by the Centre, it has been categorically stated that necessary steps will be in place by May of this year itself (2022).

Furthermore, for the first time, it is mentioned that the intake in the Naval Academy is for 30 male candidates only. The said restriction is arbitrary, he said.

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