ALL SARKARI EXAM: Women officers can now get permanent commission in Army

The Ministry of Defence has issued the formal Government Sanction Letter for grant of permanent commission (PC) to women officers in the Army
The order specifies the grant of permanent commission to SSC ( Short Service Commissioned) women officers in all the 10 streams in which they presently serve Army Air Defence, Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Electronics, and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, and Intelligence Corps, in addition to the existing streams of Judge and Advocate-General and Army Educational Corps
The order follows a Supreme Court verdict in February that directed the government that women officers be granted PC and command postings in all services other than combat.
Army chief Gen. Manoj Naravane said it was an enabling one and gave a lot of clarity on how to move forward. He stated that the same procedure for male SSC officers would be followed for women to give a permanent commission.

Under the Short Service Commission (SSC) scheme, women were commissioned into the Army for a period of 10 years, extendable up to 14 years.
Women were, however, restricted to roles in specified streams such as Army Education Corps, Corps of Signals, Intelligence Corps, and Corps of Engineers. These specified streams excluded combat arms such as infantry and armored corps.
While male SSC officers could opt for permanent commission at the end of 10 years of service, this option was not available to women officers. Women officers were, thus, kept out of any command appointment, and could not qualify for a government pension, which starts only after 20 years of service as an officer.
However, in the February 2019 policy statement, the Government endorsed the permanent commission for SSC women officers in 10 streams of the ‘Combat Support Arms’ and ‘Services’ sections. But it was said that the women officers would not be offered any command appointments, and would serve only in staff posts.

The court dismissed the government's stand that only women officers with less than 14 years of service ought to be considered for permanent commission, and those with over 20 years of service should be pensioned immediately.
The court has done away with all discrimination based on years of service for grant of PC in 10 streams of combat support arms and services, bringing them on a par with male officers.

The court held that women officers will also be eligible for command posts in non-combat areas since “an absolute bar on women seeking criteria or command appointments would not go with the guarantee of equality under Article 14”.
The court held that since command appointments were not automatic for men officers, so would it be for women. It was left to the Army to take a call on a case to case basis.

The exclusion of women from combat operations was not examined by the court as it was not contested in the appeal.

Reflects Poorly on Women: The note had shown women officers in a poor light, saying isolation and hardships would eat into their resolve and that they would have to heed to the call of pregnancy, childbirth, and family. The note had mentioned that women ran the risk of capture by the enemy and taken prisoner of war.
Patriarchal Notion: The court held that the note reflected the age-old patriarchal notion that domestic obligations rested only with women.
Sex Stereotype: The court also dismissed the point that women are physiologically weaker than men as a “sex stereotype”.
Offense to the dignity of Indian Army: The court noted that challenging abilities of women on the ground of gender are an offense not only to their dignity as women but to the dignity of the members of the Indian Army – men and women – who serve as equal citizens in a common mission.

The court noted that the policy decision of the Union government is a recognition of the right of women officers to equality of opportunity.

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