Supreme Court for the Ministry of Defense

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the Union Defense Ministry to decide within eight weeks on the inclusion of women in the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force through the Combined Defense Services (CDS) examinations.

The order came from a bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, who were hearing lawyer Kush Kalra’s plea. The petition challenged the exclusion of women from applications for recruitment to the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA) and Air Force Academy (AFA) through the CDS exams.

Kalra’s representation to the central government on December 22, 2023, prompted the court’s action.

While Kalra’s lawyer asked for the petition to be kept pending until the government responds to the statement, the court said the government should act immediately without the petition hanging over its head.

Standing counsel to the central government Kirtiman Singh informed the court that gradual steps are being taken to include women in the armed forces. He mentioned the progress at the National Defense Academy (NDA) and assured that similar steps were likely to be taken for the CDS as well.

In its directive, the court ordered the central government to complete Kalra’s representation within the stipulated time.

Kalra argued that the notice wrongly prohibited women from applying for certain positions solely on the basis of their gender, which violated the constitutional principles of equality and non-discrimination.

Although women are now allowed to join the NDA as per the Supreme Court’s order, Kalra argued that the discriminatory practice in the CDS continues, hampering the career prospects of women officers. The plea stated that the exclusion of eligible women candidates from training at premier institutions of the Indian Armed Forces was a violation of constitutional values ​​and emphasized the need for gender equality in recruitment processes. (IANS)

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