Supreme Court Of India Has Authorized Permanent Commission And Command Tenure For Women In The Army.

Supreme Court Of India Has Authorized Permanent Commission And Command Tenure For Women In The Army.

                                                                         Kaushiki Singh*

 

“The Safety, honor and welfare of the country comes first, always and every time. The honor, welfare and comfort of the men you command comes next. Your own ease comfort and safety comes at last, always and every time”.

-Indian Military Academy Credo

 

When we hear the name Indian army, we think of words like pride, respect, honor, and most importantly immense sacrifice. 

The moment a man or a woman dawns the uniform they know that along with the stars on their shoulders they carry the great responsibility of protecting our nation till their last breath.

. As quoted by the Indian army Warriors are not born, they are made in the Indian army, Warriors are not born, they are made in the Indian army.

It wasn’t until the year 1993 that the parade ground of Officers training academy Chennai could witness the first-ever batch of women officers passing out as officers. A place  which was solely made to train the boys to make them gentlemen officers. Opened the doors for women officers for the first time and ( Retd) Priya jhingan was the first women officer of India.

 Initially, the tenure for women officers inducted in Indian army was for 5 years and at the end of 5 years they got an extension for another 5 years but that was it, after that there wasn’t any extension for the women to serve in the Indian armed forces 

. The termination letter to the first batch of women officer was handed over to them  

 As quoted by Major Namrata Rathore (VSM) 

 “Leadership is not about gender…”.

A quest for equality of opportunity for women seeking Permanent Commissions in the Indian Army began.

In February 2003, Babita Puniya, an advocate instituted a Writ Petition like a Public Interest Litigation before the Delhi High Court for the grant of PC to women SSC officers in the Army. It was instituted before the High Court of Delhi in 2003 and 2006.

During the process, two circulars were issued on July 20, 2006, transmitting the President of India's approval for the issuance of SSCs to women officers on both the technical and non-technical sides. The training time was set at 49 weeks, the same as that of male SSC officers. The circulars included detailed regulations on tenure, substantive promotions, and seniority adjustments, among other things. Serving WSES officers were offered the choice of switching to the new SSC system or staying with the old WSES. In 2008, the Army's first group of female officers was commissioned.

One might wonder what could be the pros of Permanent commission when you get the same respect when retired as an SSC officer too .? well there are numerous aspects like, Access to the Permanent Commission, according to experts, also equates to job stability. Increased job stability and longevity will very certainly improve the existing imbalanced male-to-female officer ratio.

 

The promise of a permanent commission will also give women additional economic prospects since they will be able to serve for longer periods and earn more money as a result.

 

One of the most significant advantages of the permanent commission would be access to retirement benefits, which would help to secure their future. Women officers have traditionally earned no pension since they were legally required to retire after 14 years of service, whereas defense personnel is entitled to benefits after 20 years.

 As it is said. Nothing comes easy but as quoted by PVC Captain Manoj Pandey Some goals are so worthy, it’s glorious even to fail. But hereafter years of thriving for equality in the Indian armed forces came the day of victory.  In the case of The Secretary, Ministry of Defence Versus Babita Puniya & Ors. Which provided equal opportunities to women army officers and to be treated equally to their male colleagues, despite stereotypes and blanket ban limits on army women's service.The win and establishment of women's permanent commission in the Indian army created history.

 *2^nd Year Student of BBA,LL.B, MIT World Peace University, Pune