Today, On 9th May, The Supreme Court urged the Centre not to release SSC women Army officers challenging denial of permanent commission. It said, “In the prevailing situation, let’s not bring their morale down,” stressing support for women in uniform.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court directed the Central government to refrain from releasing Short Service Commission (SSC) women Army officers who are challenging the denial of permanent commission (PC) to them, urging the government not to “bring their morale down” given “the prevailing situation.”
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, which scheduled a hearing for a batch of petitions filed by 69 officers in August, stated that the officers should not be released until the next hearing.
Justice Kant remarked,
“In the prevailing situation let’s not bring their morale down. They are brilliant officers, you can use their services somewhere else. This is not the time that they be asked to roam around in the Supreme Court. They have a better place to be and serve the country.”
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, explained that the decision was an administrative one based on a policy aimed at maintaining a young armed forces.
She appealed to the Supreme Court not to stay their release, arguing that the Indian Army requires young officers and that only 250 personnel are granted permanent commission each year.
Senior advocate Maneka Guruswamy, representing Colonel Geeta Sharma, cited the case of Colonel Sofia Qureshi, one of the two women officers who briefed the media on Operation Sindoor on May 7 and 8.
Guruswamy noted that Colonel Qureshi had previously sought similar relief from the court regarding permanent commission and has since made the country proud.
The bench, without commenting extensively on the submission, stated that the case before the Supreme Court was purely legal and unrelated to the officers’ achievements.
In its February 17, 2020, ruling, the Supreme Court deemed the absolute exclusion of women from all positions, except staff assignments, in the Army as indefensible and their blanket non-consideration for command appointments without justification as unsustainable in law.
The apex court, which permitted permanent commission for women officers in the Army, stated that an absolute prohibition on women SSC officers from obtaining anything other than staff appointments did not fulfill the purpose of granting PC as a means of career advancement in the Army.
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The court also highlighted the distinctions achieved by women officers, citing Colonel Qureshi’s accomplishments as an example.
Since the 2020 verdict, the Supreme Court has issued several orders regarding permanent commission for women officers in the Armed Forces, with similar orders passed in the cases of the Navy, Indian Air Force, and Coast Guard.