SC for granting permanent commission to serving SSC women officers in Army
   Date :08-Jul-2020

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NEW DELHI ;
 
SC grants a month more to Centre for giving permanent commission to women officers in Army 
 
THE Supreme Court Tuesday granted one more month to the Centre to implement its verdict directing that permanent commission be given to all serving SSC women officers in the Army. A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra said the Centre will have to comply with all the directions in the verdict. The Centre told the bench that decision making on the issue is at a final stage and only formal orders remain to be issued.
 
It said the court’s verdict will be complied with in letter and spirit. The top court’s direction came on the Centre’s application seeking six months’ time, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, to implement the verdict. In a landmark verdict on February 17, the top court had directed that women officers in the Army be granted permanent commission and command postings, rejecting the Centre’s stand of their physiological limitations as being based on “sex stereotypes” and “gender discrimination against women.”
 
It had directed the Centre that within three months, all serving Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers have to be considered for Permanent Commission (PC) irrespective of them having crossed 14 years or, as the case may be, 20 years of service. It had said that the question of combat posting of women officers is a policy decision and was not dealt by the Delhi High Court in its 2010 verdict. The top court accepted the Centre’s policy of February 25, 2019 to grant PC to SSC women officers in all the 10 streams in the Indian Army.
 
Despite this policy, the Centre’s stand in a matter before the top court was that provisions of Army Act contemplate that women will be eligible for enrolment only in those segments which the Government permits. The top court had said that women officers have got numerous commendation certificates and laurels and their track record of service to the nation is beyond reproach. It had rejected the Centre’s submission that women officers cannot be granted PC due to physiological limitations, all-male environment in a unit, combat capability and said that mindset change is required to recognise the values of the Constitution.