The Supreme Court has questioned the Indian Army authorities for holding selection boards to promote male permanent commision officers to the rank of Colonel while withholding the same promotion avenues for women Lieutenant Colonels. On Monday, the SC asked the Centre to also specify the steps being taken to address the issue of women officers with a permanent commision being denied promotions.
The case came to the fore when at least 34 women officers approached the apex court through senior advocate V Mohana, alleging that blatant gender discrimination and non-implementation of previous SC judgements granting women with promotions and permanent commissions. Mohana argued to a bench consisting of justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli that these women officers are "being wrongly denied study leave and deputation...they are still being subject to systematic, indirect and gender discrimination."
The advocate also argued that despite the SC's judgement of March 25, 2021, women officers haven't been given any promotions and no boards of selections for the same have been set up. Meanwhile, two such boards were set up to promote male officers. "Senior women officers are forced to serve under junior gentlemen officers in a highly seniority-conscious organisation like the Indian Army, and they are being posted as additional officers, being treated as superseded or re-employed officers, to carry out jobs which are generally assigned to captain or major rank officials," Mohana said.
The bench questioned the Centre's representative, senior advocate R Balasubramaniam, about these discriminatory behaviours. The latter assured the bench that the matter will be resolved within two weeks, and that "nothing prejudicial to women officers will be done."