Slamming ‘biased mindset’ in forces , Supreme Court allows women to appear for NDA test

The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed the armed forces for their “discriminatory mind-set” towards women and allowed, as an interim measure, female candidates to take the entrance test for the National Defence Academy.

The UPSC was asked to issue a corrigendum to the effect that female candidates would be allowed to sit for the examination pending a final adjudication in the case. The entrance test is scheduled for next month.

A bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud had earlier intervened to direct the authorities to consider female short service commission officers for permanent commission.


Women are allowed short service commission in as many as 10 non-combat units of the army, but still are disallowed to be part of units which participate in active combat except as fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force.

On Wednesday, a two-member bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul spoke up against the “outdated” mores of the armed forces and appealed to the authorities to give gender neutrality due consideration while making decisions. The other judge on the bench was Justice Hrishikesh Roy.

The government had objected to allowing female candidates at the NDA. It had also stated that not being allowed to sit for the NDA examination was not a hindrance to career progression of women in the army.

The bench brushed these objections aside, stating that observing a tokenism of gender neutrality was a constitutional imperative.