Saba Rajkotia
17th March 2020
On Tuesday the 17th of March, the Supreme Court ordered the government to grant permanent commission to female officers in the Indian Navy. The SC rejected the appeals of the Union Government and upheld the Delhi High Court judgement that both male and female officers are to be treated equally in the armed forces.
The bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said “A hundred and one excuses are no answer to the constitutional entitlement to dignity, which attaches to every individual irrespective of gender, to fair and equal conditions of work and to a level-playing field. A level-playing field ensures that women have the opportunity to overcome their histories of discrimination with the surest of responses based on their competence, ability and performance”.
Justice Chandrachud also stated that “to contend that women officers are ill-suited to certain avocations which involve them being aboard ships is contrary to the equal worth of the women officers who dedicate their lives to serving in the cause of the nation”. The judgement also granted pension benefits to retired women officers who were not granted permanent commission.
The Supreme Court directed the centre to carry out their landmark decision within three months. “To cast aspersions on the ability of women and their role and achievements in the army is an insult not only to women, but also to the Indian Army’, the court said.
