The Centre informed the Supreme Court on Sept 8 about its decision to allow women in the National Defence Academy. Here’s to a win for women all over the country.
Joining the army comes with pride and glory, and only the brave ones get a chance to live this dream. The National Defence Academy exam has been the first step towards joining the Indian Army for male candidates for years. But no one seemed to question why the female candidates are not allowed to sit for the exam until now.
After a petition filed by lawyer Kush Kalra, the Supreme Court passed an interim order to allow women to sit in the examination. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati represented the government and the army in the hearing and cited “policy decision” as the reason behind not allowing women to take the NDA exam.
However, the bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Hrishikesh Roy called “gender discrimination” the basis of this policy decision. It reprimanded the army for its absurd rules that had no reasonable ground on explanation. The UPSC conducts the NDA exam, where male candidates between the ages of 15 and 18 can apply and are inducted into the army after subsequent training as commissioned officers.
In another hearing on September 8th, ASG Bhati informed the apex court that the center and the army have allowed women’s entry into the National Defence Academy. “There is good news. The Forces at the highest level and the government has taken a decision last evening to induct girls for permanent commission through the National Defence Academy,” the ASG informed a Bench led by Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M.M. Sundresh, as reported by The Hindu.
The bench asked the authorities to file an affidavit for the decision by September 22, the next hearing of the court. “The Government of India, in line with its commitment, hereby place on record its clear and categorical stand that the women candidates shall be considered for entry in the three defence services, in the existing streams, through National Defence Academy,” the affidavit read, as reported by The Times of India.
It was announced that the necessary mechanism for the entry of women in NDA will be in place by May 2022. The NDA exam takes place twice a year, and the time frame for the mechanism falls in line with the issuance of the first notification for the exam.
The Defence Ministry submitted the affidavit with how it plans to induct the women cadets in the academy. The time is required to put together a study group of experts to formulate a curriculum for women cadets. A Board of Officers has been established to decide a ‘holistic and future proposal’ for their training. While the physical fitness standards are already in place for men, the authorities need to set one for women along with the training curriculum. The academy needs to be prepared for women cadets to live in.
(National Defence Academy, Pune)
The concerned authorities need to look into the “privacy and security arrangements, physical segregation of living quarters, associated physical and electronic surveillance like women orderlies, women duty officers, etc.” There is also a need for female doctors, gynaecologists, and nurses to be stationed at the military hospital, as well as an increase in the ward capacity. There’s a long road for NDA to get ready for the women cadets and needs to go through huge changes before it starts their induction.
If everything goes well, we will have the first batch of women cadets in the National Defence Academy in January 2023. It’s a proud moment for women everywhere, as after continuous struggle they finally have the chance to serve their country. It’s never easy for them, is it? But we can hope that decisions like these will act as a stepping stone towards a better future for the women of upcoming generations.
Not so long ago, Lt. Nikita Kaul, wife of Pulwama Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal, was inducted into the Indian army. Read this blog to know about her journey and the proud moment as the stars were pipped on her shoulders.
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Image credits: Google