The Supreme Court asked the Centre for its response on a plea by 17 women officers of the Indian Army on Wednesday. The plea alleged that the defence establishment has not granted permanent commission (PC) to even half of the women applicants.
The SC bench asked the Centre to provide the recorded details of the status of each applicant through a chart.
The matter has been listed for further hearing in December by the top court.
The plea, filed through advocate Archana Pathak Dave, assailed the arbitrary criterion adopted by the board for permanent commissions, which denied a benefit to deserving women candidates.
Arguing that the exercise of granting permanent commissions has been carried out "more in optics that in substance", the plea emphasised that the Army has not granted permanent commissions to even 50 per cent of the total number of women officers distributed in 31 batches.
On February 17, the apex court had delivered a landmark verdict extending permanent commission to women Short Service Commission Officers at par with their male counterparts.
Senior advocate P.S. Patwalia, representing some women candidates, submitted one of his clients has completed 20 years in service, yet she has not been granted permanent commissions. He emphasized that if matter is heard on another date, then his client will be relieved from the service.
He submitted another client, who is completing her engineering course, has been denied permanent commission, and she had received no clarification on it as he insisted on an interim status quo order till the next date of hearing.
The bench declined to entertain this argument citing that it has not seen a counter-affidavit from the Centre.
Senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, representing another set of women officers, submitted that many of the women who were not selected for permanent commissions are decorated officers. She cited media reports that out of 615 candidates, only 277 had been granted permanent commissions, and insisted this should not be a partial victory for women in the armed forces.
The bench asked the Centre's counsel to seek instruction for ensuring no precipitative action till the matter comes up for hearing on the next date.
Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, representing the Centre, said the government will respond to all 17 petitioners before the court individually.
