Following SC Order, Govt Invites Applications From Women Candidates for NDA

Interested candidates can apply on the UPSC website till 8 October, but only unmarried women can do so at this time.

Image for representation purpose.

(File Photo: PTI)

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Friday, 25 September, accepted applications from women candidates to appear in the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy examinations.

The UPSC opened the online portal for registrations to women, though it specifies that only unmarried women can appear in the examination at this time. The applications will remain open for women candidates till 8 October.

This move comes after the Supreme Court on 20 September rejected the Centre's plea to defer women's entry into the NDA – as ordered by the apex court on 18 August – news agency PTI reported.

The Centre had suggested that women candidates would be allowed to participate in the examination from May 2022, as against the court order which had said they should be allowed to take the exams in September 2021.

The court had held that the admission of women in NDA cannot be postponed and refused to vacate its earlier order, stating that it does not want to deny women their rights.

"The armed forces are the best response team to deal with emergency situations and it is hopeful that necessary arrangements will be put in place to pave the way for the induction of women in NDA without delay."

Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Supreme Court

The court had also directed the UPSC to issue a revised notification for the entrance exam for women candidates after consultation with the Ministry of Defence to formulate tentative requirements.