Supreme Court's green flag to allow women to sit in NDA exams

New Delhi: Taking another step towards gender equality, the country's apex court on Wednesday gave the green signal to allow women candidates who have qualified for the National Defense Academy (NDA) examinations to sit.

The exam is scheduled to be held on September 5 at various centers across the country. However, the court also clarified that the final result of the examination would be subject to the final judgment of the court.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy passed the interim order on the petition filed by petitioner Kush Kalra. Rajdar Kalra had moved the petition seeking an order from the Central Government to allow women candidates who had qualified for the examinations for admission to the National Defense Academy and Naval Academy to sit.

In its interim order, the bench also directed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to issue a notification regarding its judgment and make a proper announcement.

Senior counsel Chinmay Pradeep Sharma, appearing for Kalra during the hearing of the petition, said he had received an affidavit from the central government on Tuesday stating that it was a policy decision not to allow women candidates to appear in the examination and the court should not interfere.

The bench asked Aishwarya Bhatti, Additional Solicitor General of the Union Government, why the Center was continuing its policy despite the earlier order of the court to extend the permanent commission in the Army and Navy of the country. This is totally wrong and we find this totally strange and insulting.

Will we obey the order of the Supreme Court of the country? If it is to be done, then we will order it if you want, but since the High Court ordered it to this day, I have the same impression in my mind that the country's army does not want to do anything voluntarily. Said Kaul.

However, Additional Solicitor General Bhati, in defense of the central government, said that permanent commissions have been given to several women candidates in the country's army. Dissatisfied with his reply, the bench said, "You have been opposing the matter till the court orders, you have not done anything voluntarily till today."