The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Indian Army to provide Permanent Commission to women officers, nullifying the gender stereotype roles that puts women within the four walls of the household .
The Army started inducting women officers under Special Entry Scheme from 1993, and then converted it into Short Entry Scheme.
In 2010, the Delhi High Court had ruled that Short Service commissioned women officers in the Army and Air Force should be granted Permanent Commission. Consequently, the Union Government challenged the judgement and approached the Apex court. In 2019, the Centre came out with a notification that allowed permanent commission to women in eight streams. Permanent Commission will allow women to serve till they retire like their male counterparts. But the issue of giving command position to women Officers in the Army after the grant of permanent commission, is a hard pill to swallow for the Indian Army.
The Centre submitted a written note in the Apex court earlier this month that pointed out various issues like “motherhood”, “physiological limitations” as challenges for women Officers to meet their roles of commanders.
The Centre stated,” It is best to keep woman away from direct combat since capture of a prisoner of war would lead to a situation of extreme mental, physical and psychological stress for the captured individual and the government.” It also stated that appointment of women officers as commanders of units will have its own peculiar dynamics ,as units are composed entirely of male soldiers who are recruited majorly from rural backgrounds.
The serving women officers have called the Centre’s stand “regressive” and violative of article 14 of the Constitution. They have time and again proved their merit in the army, served more than 14 years in different on field duties and firmly disregard the Centre’s claims .
The point of difference between men and women shouldn’t become a point of discrimination against one another , the Indian Army should keep this in mind. It is disheartening to see how such discrimination prevails even today , when a woman who chooses to become a commander (keeping in mind about her physiological differences with the male counterpart), is ready to face the consequences of this difference , is ready to prove her merit , strength and all other qualifications, is stopped from participating only because she lacked that ‘Y’ chromosome.
It can thus be concluded that there exists a strong sense of prejudice against women under the veil of resentment by the Indian Army.
By – Prachi Verma
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