Indian Army Re-Genderation for Women Officers

Indian army is known for showing no caste, creed and religious disparity in its ranks. After USA, Russia and China it is ranked as the fourth most powerful military entity in the world. Since 1992 women were inducted in the Indian Army for the first time as short service commission officers (10+4 years) in Signals, APS, AEC, AGD, Ordinance, EME, ASC, Engineering, Intelligence and Artillery corps. In 2008 they were taken in legal and education corps for permanent commission (Retirement). Recently in 2020 they have been taken in 8 other corps though they have been part of the army since British rule Military Nursing Service & Army Dental Corps since 1888. The main Training academies (TRG) of the Indian Army are National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune, Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun and Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai &Gaya, Cadet Training Wings (CME-Pune, MCTE-Mhow, MCEME-Secunderabad). Gender equality has been a real challenge in the Indian Armed Forces as far as permanent commission and command positions are concerned, until recently.

Facts and Figures

Supreme Court on 17th Feb. 2020 hearing for case ”The Secretary, Ministry of Defence versus Babita Punia and others” through Justice Chandrachud and Justice Ajay Rastogi granted permanent commission in all ten streams to all short service women officers (SSC) in the Indian Army upholding the 2010 Delhi High Court ruling. The legal case which started in 2003 took 17 years for the female army officers to emerge victorious and be at gender parity in the armed forces. After 9 years of High Court ruling in 2010, the army in Feb. 2019 decided to give permanent commission to those women officers who had been in service since March 2019 leaving out others. Finally the left out also emerged victorious after latest supreme court order and are eligible for command posting as per the latest order.

Supreme Court has also granted pensionable service benefits to women SSC officers completing 14 years in service before cut of date of 17th Feb2020. There are total 1672 women officers and 39,153 male officers out of total 40,825 officers for the currently occupied posts in the Indian Army out of 50,266 posts available. So, female officers are a minuscule 4% of the total commissioned officers in the Army. There is a shortage of around 9440 officers as on today.

Source: Press Information Bureau Government of India Ministry of Defence

The Indian Armed Forces has until now 6807 women officers (excluding Medical, Dental & Nursing. Total number of women in the Tri services ( Army, Airforce & Navy) are around 9100.

In Oct. & Nov. 2021 Supreme Court granted permanent commission to all eligible and pending SSC women officers after stern orders to Army for contempt of court for delaying and failing to implement its prior order on false criteria and unjustified parameters.