SC Urges Indian Army to Formulate Policy for Promoting Women Officers

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 5 December 2023

The Supreme Court has requested the Indian Army to finalize a policy promoting women officers from colonel to brigadier, following ongoing discussions on career progression.

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, and Attorney General R. Venkatramani and Senior Advocate R. Balasubramanian, have acknowledged that the Army is drafting a policy for this purpose.

The female officers have stated that they have faced discrimination during their promotions from colonel to brigadier. The Supreme Court ordered a permanent commission for women officers in the Army on 17 February 2020, rejecting the Center's stance on their 'physiological limitations' and calling it 'gender discrimination against women.'

The Supreme Court also issued an order mandating that all women serving as Short Service Commission (SSC) officers be considered for permanent commission, regardless of whether they have accrued 14 or 20 years of service in the last three months.

The Indian Supreme Court granted permanent commissions to women officers in the Indian Navy as well on 17 March 2020, ensuring a level playing field and overcoming discrimination histories.

AG states that to be eligible for Colonel Select rank, an officer must fulfill the "essential eligibility criteria" of having at least two confidential reports (CR). He declared, "Any departure from these basic eligibility requirements will amount to compromising with the Indian Army's operational requirements."

He also told the Court that an officer in the Army must have operational command of a unit or battalion for a duration of 18 to 24 months (roughly two years) to be promoted to the rank of brigadier. Officers can better grasp the "intricacies, nuances, and complexities" of command by accumulating experience, technical expertise, and service knowledge while serving as a unit's commanding officer, according to Venkataramani.