Navy, MoD Move SC Against Permanent Commission for Women

Ask apex court to stay HC order, say it ‘severely affects operational structure & administrative exigencies in Navy’.

Indian Navy soldiers demonstrate their skills while holding their weapons during Navy Day celebrations (Photo: Reuters) 

Despite claiming that female officers in the Indian Navy are not discriminated against, the government has told the Supreme Court that women short service commission officers getting permanent commission would “annihilate the functional autonomy of the armed forces”, reports The Indian Express.

Challenging the order of the Delhi High Court, which said on September 4 that women officers in the Navy should be offered permanent commission after they complete their short service stints, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Chief of Naval Staff have said that it violates the principle of “separation of powers” between different wings. The petition urges the Supreme Court to stay the High Court order, saying it “severely affects the operational structure and administrative exigencies in the Indian Navy.”

It would further cause financial and other constraints on the government and has resulted in the respondents (women officers) being provided with something that the law itself bars… the division bench (of HC) has effectively overridden the statutory provision and dictated the policy of the Indian Navy for recruiting women officers.
a government statement

“The Navy’s decision to appeal against the reinstatement of lady officers proves what the HC had stated… that the Indian government is proud to showcase women power but in reality, the picture is entirely different,” the officers told The Indian Express.