SC Allows Women To Sit For NDA Exam, Criticises Army For ‘Gender Discrimination’

Mumbai: The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed women to take the National Defence Academy (NDA) entrance exam scheduled for September 5. The court said that admissions will be subject to the final orders of the court.

While issuing the order, the court criticized the army for not allowing women to appear in the NDA exam.

When the Army’s counsel said it was a policy decision, the apex court said that the said policy decision was based on “gender discrimination”.

Last month, the top court had given the central government a last chance to file a counter-affidavit in response to a plea seeking permission to eligible women candidates to join the National Defense Academy. Currently, only men are allowed to join NDA.

During the last hearing, a Supreme Court bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy had observed that the government has failed to file a counter-affidavit despite the notice being issued on March 10 this year.

In the petition, advocate Kush Kalra had argued that deserving and willing women candidates were barred from entering the prestigious NDA on the basis of sex only. The petitioner argued that this is a violation of the fundamental right to equality.

A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde issued notice to the Centre, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and others, comprising Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramaniam.

The notice had sought responses on the plea which had stated: “The categorical exclusion of eligible female candidates from entering the National Defence Academy is not constitutionally justifiable and is simply done on the basis of their sex.”

In the plea, Kalra had also made a reference to the February 2020 landmark verdict in which the Supreme Court had ordered that women officers in the Army be granted permanent commission and command postings.

(With Agency Inputs)

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