Women officers of the Indian Army on Short Service Commission (SSC) told the Supreme Court on Thursday that they continued to face discrimination in the grant of permanent commission (PC) despite serving in key operations such as Galwan, Balakot, and the recent Operation Sindoor.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan, and N Kotiswar Singh was informed that the Centre had “repeatedly violated” the top court’s directions issued in 2020 and 2021 mandating fair consideration for women officers.
Senior advocate V Mohana, appearing for some of the petitioners, argued that the government blamed limited vacancies for the low intake of women officers for PC. However, she pointed out that since 2021 the cap of 250 officers had been breached on several occasions, yet women officers were denied equal opportunities.
“These officers are bright, have performed at par with their male counterparts in hostile areas, and participated in critical operations, but they face discrimination in evaluation of their Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs),” Mohana submitted.
Other women officers were represented by senior advocates Vibha Datta Makhija, Abhinav Mukherjee, and Rekha Palli. Arguments on behalf of the officers concluded, and the matter will now be heard on September 24 when Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati will respond on behalf of the Centre.
On Wednesday, the apex court had expressed surprise over the alleged arbitrariness in applying the “criteria appointment” standard differently for male and female SSC officers. A criteria appointment refers to command postings in hostile or difficult areas that weigh heavily in consideration for PC.
The court had asked how two sets of parameters could exist for officers undergoing the same training and postings.
Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, appearing for 13 officers, submitted that their ACRs had been “frozen” before the 2020 ruling that opened PC eligibility for women, leading to unfair gradings. She highlighted distinguished service records, such as:
- Lt Col Vanita Padhi – served in the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Congo and as Company Commander in Punjab during Operation Sindoor.
- Lt Col Chandni Mishra – first woman pilot in 88 countries to fly the Manoeuvrable Expendable Aerial Target (MEAT).
- Lt Col Geeta Sharma – served in high-altitude Ladakh, including as Officer Commanding Communication during Operation Galwan.
- Lt Col Swati Rawat – led Workshop during Operation Sindoor and served in counter-insurgency areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
Guruswamy argued that while such postings were reflected as “Criteria Appointments” in male officers’ ACRs, women’s reports failed to mention them, thereby denying them due credit in PC evaluations.
The petitioners have relied on the landmark Babita Puniya (2020) and Nishita (2021) cases, where the Supreme Court held that women officers must be considered for PC and command roles on par with men.
In its 2020 ruling, the apex court had struck down the Army’s blanket exclusion of women from command appointments, terming it “indefensible.” The court had emphasised that restricting women to staff roles defeated the purpose of PC as a means of career advancement.
Since then, similar directions have been issued to the Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
The Supreme Court will resume hearing the matter on September 24, when the Centre will submit its response. The court also plans to subsequently hear petitions filed by women officers of the Navy and Air Force challenging denial of PC.
