Formality done, attitudes must change

The government has at last acted to implement a Supreme Court order that has the potential to inject a measure of gender equality in the Indian Army. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Defence issued a formal Government Sanction Letter (GSL) granting Permanent Commission to women officers in the army. It will apply to Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers in 10 streams of the army. Hitherto, only men were eligible for Permanent Commission after completion of 10 years as SSC officers. This option was not available to their female counterparts. Consequently, women were kept out of command positions and denied pensions, too, on the ground that they had not completed 20 years of service as officers. If the MoD sanction letter is taken to its logical conclusion and implemented in letter and spirit, it will eliminate an important source of institutionalised discrimination against women in the armed forces. For this reason, it is important that the MoD and the military leadership at all levels act robustly to ensure that women officers are granted Permanent Commission.

While the MoD has done well to issue the GSL, it is too early to celebrate. It may be recalled that in its appeal before the apex court, the government had argued against Permanent Commission for women on the ground that the army’s largely rural rank and file would not take orders from women commanders. There is little evidence to show that this thinking has changed in the months since. If the MoD has acted to open up Permanent Commission to women now, it is because the Supreme Court ordered it to do so and repeatedly nudged it to implement the order as the government repeatedly missed deadlines and procrastinated on the matter. Opposition to granting women Permanent Commission thus remains strong in the political and bureaucratic establishment. This resistance will continue to block implementation.

Even stronger is the opposition of the armed forces to allowing women into command positions. Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat is known to hold views against allowing women a larger role in the army. He has, for instance, said that doing so would result in an increase in allegations of sexual harassment. Hence, whether the army will do its best to throw open the door to Permanent Commission for women or make it difficult for them to survive there remains to be seen. The military is a hierarchical organisation. Unless the top levels fully support Permanent Commission for women, the MoD move will remain a meaningless gesture.