SC judgement granting permanent commission to women officers enabling: Army chief MM Naravane
New Delhi/IBNS: Hailing the Supreme Court for granting equal status to women officers with their male counterparts, Army chief Manoj Mukund Naravane on Thursday called the verdict as "enabling" clarifying that the force never discriminates its officers on the basis of religion, caste or gender, media reports said.
General Naravane said as quoted by The Indian Express, "We found the Supreme Court judgment on permanent commissioning of women very enabling. The Army has been championing gender equality and the Supreme Court judgment brings out a sense of clarity and purpose to gainfully employ officers for better efficiency of the organisation."
"Indian Army does not discriminate any soldier based on religion, caste, creed, or even gender. The outlook of the Indian Army has been throughout like this and that is why we started inducting women officers as early as in 1993," he added.
In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court on Monday granted permanent commission to women officers, who are serving under short service commission, enabling them to assume command posts in non-combat areas irrespective of tenure of service.
The Centre earlier in an affidavit said that women army officers who had completed 14 years of short service commission will be allowed to work till they completed 20 years of service so that they become eligible for pension though they would not be getting any permanent commission.
The women army officers had moved the Supreme Court.
Rapping the Centre, the top court on Monday termed the union government's move as "sex stereotypes".
Reading out his judgement, Justice DY Chandrachud said the Centre's contentions regarding physiological limitations and social norms to deny an opportunity to women officers were "disturbing" and "unacceptable".
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day 2018 had announced that permanent commission will be granted to women army officers.
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