The SC on Tuesday told the army to take a decision on permanent commission to eight women officers, who had approached the top court in 2010 against the bar on their absorption in the armed forces. An SC bench told the army after being told that a decision had been taken to grant permanent commission to women officers in 10 branches where women are inducted for short service commission and the facility will only kick in from April 2020.
Expressing dissatisfaction over Army’s response, Aishwarya Bhatti, the lawyer for the women officers, said it meant that the decision to grant permanent commission prospectively would not cover the women who fought gender bias in the forces. The bench asked Centre to come back with a response by Thursday.