'If you don't, we will': Supreme Court warns Centre on issue of permanent commission to women Coast Guard officers

"Women cannot be left out. If you do not do it, we will do it. So take a look at that," Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud told the Centre's counsel, Attorney General R Venkataramani.

The Centre's counsel said he would ask the Coast Guard to file an affidavit.

The court set March 1 as the date for the next hearing. A woman officer of the Coast Guard has filed a petition in the matter. The plea seeks a permanent commission for eligible women officers joining the force under a short-service commission.

The Attorney General has argued that the Coast Guard differs from the Navy and Army.

In the previous hearing on Feb 19, the Centre was pulled up when the Chief Justice had asked why there was an "indifference" concerning the Coast Guard.

"Why don't you want women in the Coast Guard? If women can guard the borders, they can also guard the beaches. You talk about Nari Shakti, show it here," he had said.

The court had questioned the "patriarchal" mindset opposing the induction of women into the force.

"You have women in the Navy, so what's special about the Coast Guard. We will open up the whole canvas. Gone are the days when we said that women cannot be a part of the Coast Guard," the Chief Justice had said.

The petitioner, Priyanka Tyagi, had earlier approached the Delhi High Court. However, she did not get relief.

In her petition, she has pointed to the Supreme Court judgments on permanent commission for women in the Army and Navy.