The Supreme Court of India asked the central government not to release women Army officers who are fighting a legal case for permanent commission. These women officers are serving under the Short Service Commission (SSC) and have approached the court after being denied permanent roles in the Army.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh heard the matter. The case involves 69 women Army officers who filed petitions seeking permanent commission. The court has posted the matter for hearing in August and directed the government not to release the officers until then.

“In the prevailing situation, let’s not bring their morale down. They are brilliant officers; you can use their services somewhere else. This is not the time that they be asked to roam around in the Supreme Court. They have a better place to be and serve the country,” Justice Surya Kant said.

Centre says Army needs young officers

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati appeared for the Centre and told the court that the decision to release these officers was based on policy. She said the policy was made to keep the armed forces young. According to her, only 250 officers are granted permanent commissions every year.

She requested the court not to stop the Army from releasing the officers. She said that it was an administrative decision and not a matter for the court to interfere with.

Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy, representing Colonel Geeta Sharma, told the court that one of the officers, Colonel Sofia Qureshi, had recently briefed the media about Operation Sindoor on May 7 and 8. Guruswamy said that Colonel Qureshi also had to approach the court earlier for a similar relief and has now made the country proud.

The court responded by saying that this case is purely legal and does not involve personal achievements of the officers. “This is not about the achievements of officers. It’s a legal matter,” the bench said.

Top Court had allowed permanent commission in 2020

Back in 2020, the Supreme Court had ruled that excluding women officers from permanent commission and only allowing them to serve in staff positions was wrong. The court said that not giving them leadership roles without any reason was not acceptable under the law.

Since that judgement, the court has given several similar orders for women officers in the Navy, Indian Air Force, and Coast Guard, supporting their right to permanent commission and equal opportunities.

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