Rajnath Singh hails SC’s judgement on permanent commission for women in armed forces

Hailing Supreme Court 's decision on Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that he has always supported idea of permanent commission for women and anunced change in policy in his Independence Day speech in 2018. He said that ahe of SC's verdict, a historic decision to allow women in field operations came when n defence minister Sitharaman anunced that women will be inducted into Military Police. He gave a detailed list of women in armed forces. 

Rahul Gandhi attacks Centre as SC backs permanent commission for women officers in Forces

He ded: "As of Jan 2019, 3.89 percent of army personnel comprised women, while 6.7 per cent of navy & 13.28 percent of air force personnel were women as of June 2019. In 2019, defence ministry granted a permanent commission to women in all 10 branches of Indian Amry, including Signal Corps, intelligence, aviation, engineering, service corps and ordinance corps. plan was to recruit women in roles ranging from probing crime cases to assisting army in field operations wherever required. re have been instances where certain women officers have been in job for nearly twenty years, while SSC term terminates in fourteen years."

Historic decision

Supreme Court on Monday prounced its verdict on setting up of a permanent commission for women in armed forces. apex court stated that after Delhi High Court's 2010 judgment, it was an obligation of Centre to set up permanent commission for women in armed forces in all areas but combat positions, and t doing so is a violation of court's orders. Supreme Court in its order also observed that re was a requirement for a change of mindset when it came to ' stereos' and setting up of a commission would help women hold positions of command reby slowly challenging se stereos. 

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Key Takeaways of verdict

order of SC comes on recent plea by Ministry of Defence in Delhi High Court. A massive controversy h broken out when Centre h stated that women were t 'fit' to give orders since men will be unwilling to take orders in subordinate positions. It h stated that most men in army are brought in from rural areas and such men would t be willing to take orders from women in dominant positions. It also stated that in times of war, women in command would be hard hit when y would be taken as prisoners of war and hence y needed to be kept away from positions of command.

SC, however, upheld 2010 Delhi HC judgment to direct that Permanent Commission must be given to all women officers in Army irrespective of ir years of service. apex court stated that this was necessary to tackle ' discrimination' that took place in armed forces. 

BIG: Supreme Court directs Centre to set up permanent commission for women in armed forces