SC to pronounce judgement on plea against permanent commission for women in Army

The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce its judgement on February 17 on the Centre's appeal against Delhi High Court's directions passed in March 2010 for granting permanent commission to women officers in Indian Army.

The government had already decided in February 2019 for granting permanent commission in ten branches of Army— Judge Advocate General, Army Education Corps, Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Army Air Defence, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordinance Corps and Intelligence.

However, the prospective implementation of the notification by the armed forces after March 2019 was questioned by woman officers, who fought legal battles for it all these years.

A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta would deliver the verdict on the civil appeal filed by the Ministry of Defence, on Monday.

The top court had earlier told the government to consider implementing the 2010 judgement saying it was possible with the change in mind-set.

During the hearing, the Centre had opposed a plea for command positions for women in the Indian Army due to physiological limitations and domestic obligations, among others.

It was always advisable to keep women away from combat positions as their capture by enemies as prisoners of war would be “extreme physical, mental and physiological stress for the individual and the organisation and overall by the government”, it had said.