Male troops won’t accept women commanders: Government to SC

NEW DELHI: The Centre has told the Supreme Court that women may not be suitable for command posts in the Army as male troops are not yet prepared to accept women officers. It also cited greater family demands and the danger of them being taken prisoner of war to oppose the plea of a few women officers for command posting after getting permanent commission.

“The composition of rank & file being male, and predominantly drawn from rural background, with prevailing societal norms, the troops are not yet mentally schooled to accept women officers in command,” it said.

It also said male and female officers cannot be treated on a par in the matter of postings because of their different physical standards and exposures, and reservations over exposing women officers to combat situations.

Senior advocate R Balasubramanian and lawyer Neela Gokhale told a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Ajay Rastogi that induction of women to such posts would change the dynamics of the armed forces. They contended physiological limitation is further accentuated by the “challenges of confinement, motherhood and childcare”.

Opposing the Centre’s plea, Meenakshi Lekhi and Aishwarya Bhatti, representing the women officers, told the court that many of them displayed exceptional bravery in adverse situations. They informed the court it was Minty Agarwal who, as flight controller, had guided Wing Commander Abhinandan when he shot down a Pakistani F-16 for which she was awarded the Yudh Seva Medal. Earlier Mitali Madhumita was awarded the Sena Medal for her bravery when terrorists attacked the Indian embassy in Kabul.

But the Centre said armed forces require sacrifices and commitment beyond the call of duty by the entire family of service personnel involving separation and frequent transfers, affecting the education of children and career prospects of the spouse. “...it is a greater challenge for women officers to meet these hazards of service owing to prolonged absence during pregnancy, motherhood and domestic obligations towards their children and families, especially when both husband and wife happen to be service officers,” it said.

Balasubramanian told the court that the Centre is agreeable to permanent commission to women officers who have served up to 14 years in the Army but not above that. He said those above 14 years of service would be permitted to serve till 20 years without PC and those past 20-year service would be released with pensionary benefits.

He said all aspects were considered by the Centre while formulating a policy, like national security and operational effectiveness, and it was difficult to allow women officers in command posts. He said it would be a situation of extreme physical, mental and psychological stress for the organisation and the government if a woman officer is taken PoW, and it is best avoided by keeping them away from direct combat.

“Future wars are likely to be short, intense and lethal, besides being prosecuted at very short notice. The boundaries between conventional and counter insurgency/terrorist operations have blurred in the present hybrid nature of warfare. The non-linear battlefield has rendered the erstwhile rear areas as much vulnerable as the battlefront. Therefore induction of women officers into Indian Army, hitherto a male bastion, needs to be viewed in the perspective of changed battlefield environment,” he said.

“The officers are expected to lead their men from the front and need to be in prime physical condition to undertake combat tasks. Inherent physiological differences between men and women preclude equal physical performance resulting in lower physical standards and hence the physical capacity of women officers remains a challenge for command of units,” the government said.

But the bench also hinted that complete bar against women officers for holding command posts was not right and the Army should allow them as per organisational requirement and suitability.

The court said there was resistance when women were being inducted in police force but they are doing extremely well. “A change of mindset is required with changing times. You need to give them opportunity and they will serve to the best of their capabilities,” the bench said.