No Permanent Commission to Women Army Officers without Evaluation is Disservice to Nation, Rules Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of India, after hearing a plea by nearly half a dozen women army officers who have been denied Permanent Commission (PC) after failing to meet the required percentage on a UAC based evaluation system, asked the Army to re-look into the case of the women short service commission officers and the entire evaluation process. The women have complained that their assessment was based on an old, abandoned system of evaluation.

The court on Monday observed that discharging short service commission women army officers without a comprehensive evaluation about their ability to meet the threshold level would be a disservice to the nation.

This observation came from a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and A S Bopanna after the Army conceded that the women officers were discharged with pension after completion of 20 years of their service without a comprehensive evaluation as directed by the SC. The court has also asked the additional solicitor general Sanjay Jain and senior advocate R Balasubramanian to examine the merit of each of the petitioners and find out whether, through a comprehensive evaluation, these women officers achieve the threshold level for grant of PC.

Additionally, the court highlighted the necessity to look into the grey areas and finally put a lid on such issues with its statement, "We have to iron out some of the creases which remain in the matter (relating to grant of PC to women army officers) and then put a lid on this issue. This will be the last batch of petitions we will be entertaining on this issue. For these officers, look at their subsequent ACRs. If they do not meet the threshold levels, they go out. No questions about it."

"But suppose, they are outstanding officers as a result of their subsequent ACRs, why should they be not given PC? There is a little problem with the UAC system. We don't say discard the UAC system. But with UAC, look at their subsequent achievements and ACRs. Suppose their subsequent ACRs are outstanding, this will be a disservice to the army and the nation if their services are discharged," the bench said.

The bench has adjourned the hearing to December 10 and asked Jain and Balasubramanian to "look at the petitioner's ACRs after the fifth and tenth year of service and their performance and find out whether they meet the threshold level of 60 per cent."