39 Women Officers Get Permanent Commission: Thirty-nine women Army officers have got Permanent Commission after winning a legal battle in the Supreme Court, which ordered the government to ensure their new service status is granted within seven working days.
Out of 71 women Short Service Commission officers who went to Supreme Court, 39 were found eligible for Permanent Commission as seven were found to be medically unfit. On the other hand, 25 of them had issues of discipline, said the government. The Supreme Court further directed the centre to give a detailed report in three months which included all the reasons why the 25 were not eligible for Permanent Commission.
On October 1, the court had told the government not to relieve any of the officers from service. The matter was being heard by a two-judge bench of Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice BV Nagarathna. The latter is in line to become the first woman Chief Justice of India.
V Mohana, Huzefa Ahmadi and Meenakshi Arora are the senior lawyers representing the women officers. They had told the apex court that their disqualification was not in alignment with the Supreme Court's judgement in March when when it asked the Indian Army to grant Permanent Commission to all women Short Service Commission officers who were meeting the criteria, as per a report.
What does a Permanent Commission mean?
A Permanent Commission refers to a career in the army till retirement. On the other hand, Short Service Commission is for 10 years. In this, there is an option of either leaving after 10 years or opting for Permanent Commission at the end of 10 years. If an officer doesn't get Permanent Commission then, the officer can also opt for a four-year extension.
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