HC asks govt to decide on plea to let women take CDS exams
The Delhi high court on Friday instructed the Union ministry of defence to address within eight weeks a plea seeking the inclusion of women candidates in the Indian Military Academy
The Delhi high court on Friday instructed the Union ministry of defence to address within eight weeks a plea seeking the inclusion of women candidates in the Indian Military Academy, the Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy, through the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination.
A bench of acting chief justice Manmohan and justice Manmeet PS Arora urged the Union government to adjudicate on the representation submitted by petitioner Kush Kalra.
“The writ petition is disposed of with direction to Defendant No. 2 (MoD) to decide petitioner’s representation dated December 22, 2023, in accordance with law in 8 weeks,” the bench stated in its order.
Kalra’s petition challenges the Union Commission of Public Service’s (UPSC) December 20, 2023 notification, which bars females from participating in CDS exams for recruitment in various branches of the Indian Armed Forces.
While Kalra’s counsel Jyotika Kalra sought to keep the petition pending until a decision was made on his representation, the court said that the government should resolve the matter promptly, free from the influence of pending litigation. Kalra’s representation was filed due to the lack of response from the authorities.
The representation argued that the ministry of defence’s removal of barriers for entry of women through the NDA (National Defence Academy) examination, allowed since 2021, highlights the inconsistency in barring women from the CDS examination.
Representing the ministry, advocate Kritiman Singh informed the court that the government is gradually taking steps to include women in the armed forces, citing recent developments in the NDA.
The headcount of women in the military has increased almost three-fold over the last six years, with more avenues being opened to them at a steady pace.
The Supreme Court, in February 2020, ruled that short service commission (SSC) women officers were entitled to permanent commission (PC) in the army and navy and that they have to be considered irrespective of their service length. This judgment led to at least 5,020 women officers being granted PC.
