Delhi HC Ask Report From Center On Gender Discrimination Against Women In Indian Army

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday ordered the Centre to notify it of the recruitment of women into various branches of the Indian Army. The ruling was issued in response to petitions filed by lawyer Kush Karla alleging gender discrimination in the army's recruiting policy in particular entries.

Women's service in the armed services began in 1888, during British control, with the founding of the Indian Military Nursing Service. For a long time, women in the military services were restricted to medical roles only, such as physicians and nurses.

Women have been admitted into numerous arms and branches of the military services over the years. Women could not serve in front-line combat roles until 2015 when the government authorised a proposal to induct women into the Air Force's fighter stream. This gave women new combat air force jobs as fighter pilots. Women also serve as pilots and observers on the Navy's maritime surveillance planes, which are used in warfare. Women are still barred from serving in combat roles in the Infantry, Mechanised Infantry, Armoured Corps, and Artillery. Women were granted permanent commissions in the Indian Army in eight departments in 2019: Signals, Engineering, Army Aviation, Army Air Defence, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordinance Corps, and Intelligence.

Gender Discrimination In Indian Army, HC Verdict:

A panel of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sachin Datta ordered that a new status report detailing the recruitment of women to be prepared in light of the Supreme Court's directions. 'Let a new status report be produced with information on women's recruitment in light of the Supreme Court's instructions,' ordered the bench.

According to Assistant Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, nothing remains in the appeal concerning the recruitment of women in the Air Force in Group X and Y crafts since ‘it has not become Agniveer.’

Group 'X' works with technical aspects like business aircraft and ground systems, whereas group 'Y' deals with non-technical areas like logistics and accountancy. The other petitions concern women's enlistment in the Army Engineering and Education Company. In all cases, the court ordered that an affidavit on the recruiting of women be filed.

Kush Kalra has accused the Army of ‘institutional discrimination’ against women in the PILs, claiming that it does not recruit them by giving them a permanent commission in the two corps.

In response to the petitions, the Center stated in 2018 that the charge of discrimination against women in the Indian Army in terms of recruiting is ‘unjustified, baseless, and devoid of validity.’

According to the Indian Army, it ‘established the Women Special Entrance Scheme (Officers) in 1992 to induct Short Service Commission (Women Officers)’ under suitable legal procedures.

According to advocate Kush Kalra, ‘sex discrimination is a violation of the fundamental right to equality before the law, the right not to be discriminated on the basis of sex, equality of opportunity in matters of public employment, the right to and the right to take up a profession, and the human rights of women.’ The next case hearing will take place in May.

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