Army unfair to women over promotions: SC

New Delhi, December 9

Piqued over the delay in promotions being given to women Army officers, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the Army to put its “house in order”, saying that it had not been “fair” to women officers, who were forced to wage a legal battle for promotions even after being granted permanent commission on the directions of the top court in 2020.

What the Bench said

You (Army) have not been fair to these women officers. You better… tell us what you are doing for them. CJI-led Bench

“We feel that you (Army) have not been fair to these women officers. We are going to pass a peremptory order on Tuesday… You better set your house in order and tell us what you are doing for them. First, do not announce the results for the male officers who were considered in October (for promotions) until you announce their (women’s) results,” a Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said.

While hearing a plea by 34 women Army officers, who alleged that junior male officers were being considered over them for promotions to perform “combat and commanding roles” in the Army, the Bench asked Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain and senior advocate R Balasubramanian, representing the Centre and the armed forces, as to why they did not consider these women officers for promotion in October.

They said the Army had sanctioned 150 seats for the women officers.

On behalf of the women Army officers, senior advocate V Mohana submitted that since the judgment granting permanent commission to the women officers, 1,200 junior male officers had been promoted. “Even after the last hearing, nine male officers were placed on higher ranks,” she alleged.

Questioning the Army over holding special selection boards only for male officers’ promotion and not for their women counterparts, the Supreme Court had, on November 22, asked the Centre to respond to a petition by 34 Army women officers seeking promotions to higher ranks.

The 34 women Army officers submitted that despite the Supreme Court’s direction in the historic Babita Punia case in February 2020, the promotions of women officers had not been given effect to.

The women officers submitted that it was completely unjustified, unsustainable, illegal, unreasonable, arbitrary and a matter of great humiliation and insult to senior women officers that the respondents had been promoting junior gentleman officers to the Colonel rank, while withholding the promotion of women officers.

Mohana had said that after the top court’s March 25, 2021, verdict, the Army had said a special selection board would be held and women officers having seniority between 1992 and 2007 would be considered for promotion to the rank of Colonel.