The Supreme Court (SC) judgment granting Permanent Commission (PC) to women officers in the Army gives clarity on the issue, and a roadmap has been prepared for its implementation, Army Chief General Manoj Naravane said on Thursday.
“The judgment of the Supreme Court is a very enabling one. It gives a lot of clarity on how to move forward. There is equal opportunity for everyone and there is no gender discrimination,” Gen. Naravane said in a brief interaction with the media.
Elaborating, he said the first task at hand is to comply with the SC judgment to grant Permanent Commission. “We have drafted a plan. We will send out letters to everyone and ask for their choice,” he stated.
‘Same rule for all’
The same procedure that’s followed for male Short Service Commission (SSC) officers will be followed in ensuring Permanent Commission for women, Gen. Naravane clarified, adding, “It will be the same rule for everyone.”
On Monday, the apex court directed the government that women officers in the Army be granted Permanent Commission and command postings. Observing that the judgment was for those who have crossed a certain point in their career in the Army, he said the rules for young officers would not be applied to women officers with greater seniority. All these factors will be discussed in the training of the next batch of women officers, he stated.
Noting that the Army started inducting women officers since 1993, he added that the Army was the first service to employ women as jawans in the Corps of Military Police. The first batch of 100 women soldiers is currently undergoing training.
