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The government told Delhi High Court on Friday that women can never be granted permanent commissioning in army.
Solicitor General of India Gopal Subramanium, who appeared in front of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, for the government, said that women who are in short service commission in Indian army will never be granted permanent commission.
But the court has put a stay on the issues related to the retirement of officers, till a conclusion is arrived on Nov 19.
The court was hearing the plea of over 20 officers who have filed a public interest petition challenging the government's proposal of Sep 29, 2008, to bypass them for future grant of permanent commission.
The women serve in the army under short service commission, which will be for a maximum of 14 years. But the men are granted permanent commission after five years of short service.
But Subramanium was clear with his brief when he said the government policy would in effect be "prospectively" for future batches of women officers as the training and examination processes of women candidates have to be fine-tuned to suit the "additional avenues" opening up for them in the armed forces.
As an immediate relief for them, the solicitor general said: "short service officers are given an option to join a business course at top schools like the indian institutes of management so as to immediately interface with a corporation."
But the bench was not ready to accept government’s view.
"We have doubts on why you should do it for male officers and not for the women. Why are they treated differently?" the court asked.
Rekha palli, counsel for the officers, argued: "There are 35 percent vacancies in various departments. These women officers are highly trained and have been doing the same jobs for 14 years. But the armed forces do not want them any more despite the vacancies available."
