Women in the Armed Forces
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. Readers will be able to edit existing articles and post new articles directly |
Contents |
Combat-Support Arms
2021: Five Cleared For Colonel Rank
August 24, 2021: The Times of India
Five women officers from “combat-support arms” have for the first time been cleared for promotion to the rank of Colonel (timescale) in the Army after completing 26 years of service like their male counterparts.
The Army cleared the promotion of Lieutenant Colonels Sangeeta Sardana (Corps of Signals), Sonia Anand and Navneet Duggal (Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers), and Reenu Khanna and Ritcha Sagar (Corps of Engineers) to the Colonel (time-scale) rank.
An officer becomes a “selection-grade” Colonel in around 15-17 years. The “passed over” male officers become Colonel (time-scale) after completing 26 years of service.
The promotion of the five women officers is the outcome of a Supreme Court order to the 13-lakh strong Army last year to end gender bias and grant permanent commission (PC) to women officers in eight more branches, in addition to previously existing legal and education wings. Consequently, the Army has till now granted PC to 424 of the 615 shortservice commission (SSC) women officers (who can only serve for a maximum of 14 years) eligible for it.
The Supreme Court had last week also allowed women to take the exam for the tri-Service National Defence Academy this year.
Women officers, excluding the medical stream, number just about 1,650 in the 43,000-strong officer cadre in the Army. Till now, women officers could reach the rank of Colonel only in the medical, legal and education streams. Women officers are, however, still not allowed in main combat arms like infantry, mechanized infantry, artillery and armoured corps in the Army. But the IAF has 12 women fighter pilots. The Navy earlier this year also deployed four women officers on warships for the first time after a gap of 23 years.
Corps in which employed
Corps of Military Police
Rajat Pandit, July 4, 2019: The Times of India
The Army plans to deploy women soldiers from the corp of military police, who will be trained at the CMP Centre in Bengaluru, for crowd control and frisking of women protesters in militancy-hit areas like Jammu & Kashmir and the northeast. The Army plans to induct 1,700 women in the PBOR (personnel below officer rank) category in the CMP in a phased manner over the next 17 years.
“The lack of women personnel poses serious problems for the Army in these disturbed areas. Moreover, the CMP women will also help in investigation of criminal cases like rapes and molestation as well as in preserving good order and discipline in military formations,” said an officer.
“The recruitment of women as soldiers in the CMP is a path-breaking step. With over two lakh women registering online since April 25, the recruitment rally is now slated to be held at Belgaum before this monthend,” a senior officer said.
“With 100 of them being inducted every year, women will eventually constitute 20% of the CMP. The functional efficiency of the first women provost unit in the Territorial Army, in turn, will decide whether more such units should be raised,” he said.
Women, of course, continue to be a miniscule number in the male-dominated environs of the armed forces. But more of them are now getting permanent commission instead of being made to leave service after 14-15 years as short-service commission officers.
Indian Air Force
Wing Commander Vijayalakshmi Ramanan
Chethan Kumar, October 21, 2020: The Times of India
IAF’s first woman officer dies at 96
Had Designed Its Uniform For Women
Chethan.Kumar@timesgroup.com
Bengaluru:
Born on February 27, 1924, Vijayalakshmi joined the Madras Medical College for MBBS in 1943. She was Best Outgoing Student in 1948, and a recipient of the Balfour Memorial Medal for Medicine and prize for surgery by Madras University. She did her MD in obstetrics and gynaecology and worked in Egmore Maternity hospital in Chennai as assistant surgeon.
Vijayalakshmi was commissioned in the Army Medical Corps on August 22, 1955 and seconded to the IAF the same day, making her the first woman IAF officer. She also had administrative duties of the medical board and family planning and took classes for nursing officers.
Her husband was Wing Commander KV Ramanan “They were the first couple of the IAF. Vijayalakshmi had also designed the IAF uniform for women,” her relative Narayan said.
Fighter pilots
2016-21
June 21, 2021: The Times of India
Flying officer Mawya Sudan, who hails from Lamberi village in Rajouri district of J&K, has become the 12th woman to be commissioned into the fighter stream of IAF.
Commissioned at the combined graduation parade at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal near Hyderabad after basic training on Saturday, Sudan will now undergo rigorous fighter training for over a year before she can become “fully operational” as a fighter pilot and handle the intricacies of combat flying.
Flight Lieutenants Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh were the first women to be commissioned as flying officers into the fighter stream in June 2016.
IAF currently has11women fighter pilots, who have undergone the arduous training to fly supersonic jets. TNN
Women in forces get full-term right
Services May Challenge HC Order In SC
Abhinav Garg
New Delhi: It’s clearly the season for women. The week started with the women’s reservation bill being passed by the Rajya Sabha, and it is ending with a landmark court judgment that breaks another glass ceiling for women by allowing them permanent commission in the Indian armed forces.
On Friday, the Delhi high court directed the government to grant permanent commission to interested women officers of the armed forces serving under the short service commission. The court, however, turned down the plea for allowing women in combat operations.
The armed forces establishment has reacted negatively to the judgment and is in favour of challenging the order in the Supreme Court. However, the government’s view is not known. Observers say, given its pro-women stance, it might be uneasy about going in appeal.
Delivering its verdict, a bench comprising Justices S K Kaul and M C Garg said permanent commission was not a ‘‘charity being sought by women officers but enforcement of their constitutional rights’’. It found the policy of not offering permanent commission (PC) to women SSC officers discriminatory.
‘‘If male officers can be granted PC while performing those tasks there is no reason why equally capable women can’t be granted PC,’’ the court observed while disposing of appeals filed by more than 50 retired and serving women officers. The first appeal dates back to 2003.
However, the relief has come with several caveats. The ruling is applicable only to those officers recruited prior to 2006 when the government decided to stop shifting officers from SSC to PC across the board, be it men or women.
AN UNEQUAL MUSIC
Apart from the medical corps, Army has around 1,100 women officers out of 35,000 officers; IAF, 700 out of 10,700 officers; Navy, 280 out of 8,000 officers Women officers serve in non-combat arms (engineering, ordnance, signals, intelligence, education, law, air traffic control, among others). IAF has 58 woman helicopter and transport aircraft pilots Women officers can serve up to 14 years only. In 2008, govt approved permanent commission in the legal and education wings of the three Services. The 2009 batch undergoing training can opt for permanent commission Doctors, dentists, nurses get permanent commission. There are 800 women doctors, 90 dentists and 3,200 nurses
Govt doesn’t plan combat duty for women – in infantry, armoured corps, mechanised infantry or artillery. Women can’t fly fighters or serve on warships STORY ELSEWHERE...
Canada, Denmark, Norway, Portugal and Luxembourg allow combat roles for women Women in UK and US can serve in all wings but not allowed in direct ground combat missions Israel allows women in frontline combat units but it’s voluntary. If they decline a specific mission, it’s not a negative ‘No reason why women shouldn’t get benefits’
New Delhi: The HC ruling on permanent commission for women in the Indian armed forces comes with some caveats. Male officers on SSC have been given permanent commission despite a government order because of the acute shortage of officers. Given this fact, it is a moot point whether the court will allow the inequity if women officers were to go before it.
Significantly, while arguing that PC could not be granted retrospectively, the government counsel said this option could be allowed for women recruited in the future. The court, however, held that the petitioners — many of whom had retired by now — should be granted the benefit. ‘‘These women officers have served the armed forces of the country well in the areas of operation they were recruited for and have worked in this capacity for 14 to 15 years... There is no reason why these persons who have knocked the door of the court should be deprived of the benefit,’’ the court said.
The court refused to go into the debate on whether women should be allowed in combat, which was one of the pleas. ‘‘There are countries which have given opportunity to women even in combat areas but there are social and cultural ethos which vary from country to country... Thus we are clearly of the view that it is not for the court to decide which areas of operation of armed forces women should be employed in,’’ the bench observed.
In its 32-page order, the HC directed the government to grant within two months’ time all benefits of PC to all eligible women officers.
SC lets gallantry awardee get permanent job
Dhananjay Mahapatra, SC lets woman officer get permanent job, Dec 1, 2016: The Times of India
The Supreme Court paved the way on Wednesday for the first woman gallantry award winning Army officer, Lt Col Mitali Madhumita, to be given permanent commission despite her last minute change of mind for a career in the armed forces.
Madhumita was awarded the Sena Medal gallantry medal while being posted at Kabul, Afghanistan recognizing the exemplary courage shown by her during the fidayeen attack on the Indian embassy . She was credited for saving many lives while acting without caring for her personal safety .
The Army had appealed against a February 2015 order of the Armed Forces Tribunal, which had quashed rejection of her application to change her earlier stand to not choose permanent commission.
Her counsel Aishwarya Bhati contended before a bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justices D Y Chandrachud and L N Rao that Madhumita was a meritorious officer who had earlier decided not to take permanent commission because of adverse matrimonial conditions.
Bhati said the AFT had taken note of her bravery and selfless service while being posted at the Indian embassy , including the courageous handling of the fidayeen attack, and had permitted her to withdraw the earlier application declining permanent commission.
The tribunal had recommended that since she had withdrawn the earlier decision well before her discharge from the Army , the authorities should consider granting her permanent commission. Appearing for the Army , advocate R Balasubramanian said the withdrawal of decision not to take permanent commission after its acceptance by the authorities would interfere with the policy and cadre management of the armed forces with regard to grant of permanent commission to short service commissioned officers.
The bench found favour with Madhumita's plea after considering the circumstances for her change of mind and took into account the strong recommendation by a chain of army command in her favour, acknowledging and certifying her to be an outstanding officer.
The SC had on October 15 last year stayed the Union government's order releasing Madhumita from service. She had continued to serve in Army in the rank of lieutenant colonel in Army education corps pursuant to the interim order of the apex court.
Madhumita was awarded the Sena Medal (Gallantry) for her brave actions during a terrorist attack on an Indian guest house in Kabul in February 2010.
She had been heading the Indian Army's English language training team in Kabul.
Without caring for her personal safety , she had courageously rescued several injured persons during the attack and rushed them to the hospital. Three Army officers had lost their lives in t he attack.
Number of women in the defence services
As in 2019
From: Rajat Pandit, July 4, 2019: The Times of India
See graphic, 'The Number of women in the defence services, presumably as in 2019 '
2022: An overview
AmitAnand Choudhary, March 9, 2022: The Times of India
New Delhi: As the hearing of apetition pertaining to entry of women in the National Defence Academy took place on International Women’s Day, the Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court there has been a change in the mindset of defence forces, which are now more receptive to induction of women officers. The Centre said more seats may be allotted to women candidates in the NDA after a study on the implications. Additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, told a bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M M Sundresh that it is the mindset which becomes a stumbling block in bringing about change and it is easy once the mindset changes. She sought three months’ time to conduct the study before taking a decision on inducting more women candidates in the NDA. She also added that, for the first time, the Navy also decided to induct women into three Branches/ Cadres through the NDA. “In fact, the Navy doesn’t have any direct induction of men and women through NDA (UPSC) entry post 10+2 for the branches/cadres/specialisations which are open for induction of women. It is submitted that notwithstanding the above, given the intent of the interim directions from the court, the Navy has decided to induct women into three branches/ cadres through NDA,” the Centre said in its affidavit. The bench termed “very constructive” the approach of defence forces in opening the doors of their colleges and schools, including the NDA, for women, and also appreciated the contribution of Aishwarya Bhati in facilitating the process and assisting the court on the issue — both as a law officer and as a woman advocate. Drawing comparisons from other countries, Bhati said women constitute 13. 6% of officers cadre in India, which is the fourth largest after the US (17%), Australia (16. 5%) and France (16%). She also submitted that in compliance of the SC’s other order, 506 women officers have been granted permanent commission. She said the SC’s order on gender equality in forces is the biggest gift for women.
Permanent commission
Approved in 2020
Govt orders permanent commission for women, July 24, 2020: The Times of India
New Delhi:
The defence ministry has finally issued the formal order to grant permanent commission (PC) to women officers in eight more branches of the Army, in accordance with the Supreme Court directive in February, which will “empower them to shoulder larger roles” in the 13-lakh strong force.
The “government sanction letter” specifies that women short-service commission (SSC) officers will be granted PC — if found eligible by a selection board — in Army Air Defence (AAD), Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), Army Service Corps (ASC), Army Ordnance Corps (AOC), and Intelligence Corps. They are already eligible for PC in the Judge and Advocate General (JAG) and Army Educational Corps (AEC) branches. “In anticipation, the Army HQ had already set in motion a series of preparatory actions for conduct of the PC selection board for eligible women officers. The board will be scheduled as soon as all eligible women SSC officers exercise their option and complete requisite documentation,” said an Army officer on Thursday. Women number just over 1,600 in the 43,000-strong officer cadre in the Army. The military brass for long opposed PC and command roles for women due to “operational, practical and cultural problems” but had to relent after the court directive to end gender bias in the force.
Women officers, unlike their male counterparts, were not mandated to undergo the “junior command course” and other “adjunct courses” as young captains or majors to be eligible for “command appointments” till now.
Women, of course, are not allowed to join main combat arms like infantry, mechanised infantry, artillery and armoured corps in the Army. They also cannot serve on board warships and submarines in the Navy. But the IAF, which already had women transport aircraft and helicopter pilots, has commissioned eight women as fighter pilots since 2016 to break yet another glass ceiling.
SC judgement of 2021
Dhananjay Mahapatra, March 26, 2021: The Times of India
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court scripted victory for women Short Service Commission officers, who struggled for 18 years to get fairly evaluated for permanent commission, and quashed application of fitness standards of a 35-year-old male officer to women now in the 45-50 age group.
In a 137-page judgment, a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah said, “We must recognise here that the structures of our society have been created by males and for males. As a result, certain structures that may seem to be the ‘norm’ and may appear to be harmless are a reflection of the insidious patriarchal system. A facially equal application of laws to unequal parties is a farce, when the law is structured to cater to a male standpoint.”
The women officers had first moved the Delhi high court in 2003 seeking PC, which was allowed by the court in non-combat units in 2010.
Court: Army’s evaluation criteria discriminatory
On February 17, 2020, the SC upheld the verdict and asked the Army to grant PC to women SSC officers. However, 86 women officers were back in the SC alleging arbitrary rejection by retrospective application of standards.
In a heart-warming judgment studded with analysis of various kinds of discrimination faced by women, the bench said, “The evaluation criteria set by the Army constituted systemic discrimination against the petitioners. The pattern of evaluation deployed by the Army to implement the decision in Babita Puniya (February 17, 2020) disproportionately affects women. Authoring the judgment, Justice Chandrachud said, “This disproportionate impact is attributable to the structural discrimination against women, by dint of which the facially neutral criteria of selective ACR evaluation and fulfilling the medical criteria to be in Shape-1 at a belated stage to secure PC disproportionately impacts them vis-a-vis their male counterparts.
“The pattern of evaluation, by excluding subsequent achievements of the petitioners, and failing to account for the inherent patterns of discrimination that were produced as a consequence of casual grading and skewed incentive structures, has resulted in indirect and systemic discrimination. This discrimination has caused an economic and psychological harm and an affront to their dignity.”
The SC said it would be in the spirit of true equality to apply the fitness standards of male counterparts to women SSC officers in the same age group and not make women officers who are in their 20th year of service to show fitness akin to the 10th year of service in the Army. The SC said even in selection level posts for male Army officers, the fitness levels are much relaxed. “Accordingly, the Army authorities must remove the requirement of benchmarking women Short Service Commission officers (WSSCOs) with the last male officer who had received PC in their corresponding batches and all WSSCOs meeting the 60% cutoff must be granted PC. Additionally, the calculation of the cutoff at 60%, which must by Army orders and instructions be reviewed every two years, must be re-assessed to determine if the casual completion of their ACRs is disproportionately impacting the WSSCOs ability to qualify for PC even at that threshold,” the SC said.
“In light of the systemic discrimination that women have faced in the Army over a period of time, to call for the adoption of a pattern of evaluation that accounts and compensates for this harsh reality is not to ask for ‘special and unjustified treatment’. Rather, it is the only pathway for the attainment of substantive equality. To adopt a symmetrical concept of equality is to empty the anti-discrimination guarantee under Article 15 of all meaning,”Justice Chandrachud said.
The SC said WSSCOs who have been excluded on medical grounds in November 2020 have a legitimate grievance that whether they fulfilled the Shape-1 criteria has to be determined from their medical status on the date when they were entitled to be considered, following the decision of the Delhi HC in 2010.
“Some of them who fulfilled the criterion at the material time are entitled to PC and can continue in service so long as they continue to meet the medical standards prescribed for continuance in the Army,” the bench said.
Blaming the Army for the simmering controversy over grant of PC to women officers, the SC said it arose only because of the Army not having implemented its decision in time, despite the course correction prescribed by the Delhi HC in 2010.
