Women Officers in Armed Forces: a new policy

It is a news blog about the legal issues that are prevailing in the current scenario of the society. The legal amendments are updated and modified periodically according to the socio-economic status of a nation. The legal amendments completely depend on the law system of a nation considering the factors that influence the legal, political, and socio-economic system. Any kind of legal issue usually arises during a hazardous situation or imbalance in the social structure. For the justification of any legal issue, it is usually dependent on the judicial system of the nation. Therefore changing the complete legal scenario of the nation brings in a revolution to the society that affects the other sectors of the society involving the financial, industrial, educational, and even health sectors.

Amendment of Law in Granting Permanent Commission to the Women Officers in Armed Forces 

There has been recent news that as per the orders Supreme Court to the Central Government that there should be vigilance to the positive side of granting permanent commission to the women officers in retrospective effect, and even expand the ambit of the benefit to the women officers who are serving under SSC before March 2019. Therefore, as per the legal amendments made by the Supreme Court, the Army has notified that there needs to be a permanent commission to the women officers in the Indian armed forces who joined the forces under SSC, after March 2019. As per the observation of the topmost court of the nation, it states that this would show India in a different way on the global platform. After this amendment, the Central Government had already issued the notification for permanent jobs to the women officers in the ten branches of the army. A bench of the jury that was headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud thus frowned at the move of the Army for granting the permanent commission to the women army officers who had joined the forces under the SSC after March 2019 but not to include those officers who are already serving under SSC before March 2019. 

The Verdict of Supreme Court for Permanent Commission of Women Officers in Armed Forces 

However, the Prime Minister of our country, Narendra Modi has completely supported the idea of the permanent commission for the women officers and therefore announced the updated policy last year in his Independence Day Speech. There are still some women officers who have been in the job for nearly twenty years, while it is a fact that the SSC term terminates in fourteen years. In this retrospective effect, in the absence of the implementation of the policy, the women officers are working for several years in the Indian armed forces and are unlikely to reap the benefits. As the matter is pending to date, the petitioners for this policy continue to remain in SSC where they are denied promotions. According to this new system in the sociopolitical scenario, the women officers working under SSC within their four years of service would have to indicate the choice for the permanent commission. As per the statement of the Supreme Court, it does not appreciate the prospective implementation of the notification by the designated officials of the armed forces after March 2019. The Court has also emphasized on the fact that the women who were working under SSC for several decades and also fighting the legal battles should be definitely brought on board as Officers under the permanent commission. The Court also expressed to the Centre’s Counsel to look at its direction from the perspective of an opportunity. Alongside this amendment, the Court also asked the Counsel of Centre to revert with a positive response on November 28, and then the Court will never adjourn the matter. Thus this is the feedback when Centre had moved the apex court on challenging the verdict of Delhi High Court in March 2010.