Who is Major Navya Shekhawat, first woman Army officer appointed President’s Aide-De-Camp assisting her in official duties ?

Major Navya Shekhawat, a young Indian Army officer serving at Rashtrapati Bhavan, has drawn attention after becoming the first woman from the Army to be appointed as an Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to President Droupadi Murmu. Her appointment makes her the second woman overall to hold the President’s ADC post, after Lieutenant Commander Yashasvi Solanki of the Indian Navy in 2025.

At official events at Rashtrapati Bhavan, ADCs are among the military officers who accompany the President and assist with official engagements. Major Shekhawat is now part of that team, marking the first time a woman officer from the Indian Army has held the President’s ADC appointment.

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The development follows the appointment of Lieutenant Commander Yashasvi Solanki of the Indian Navy, who became the first woman officer overall to serve as an ADC to the President in 2025.

What does a President’s ADC do?

An Aide-de-Camp is a military officer assigned to assist the President during official duties, including engagements and ceremonial functions. The President traditionally has five ADCs, with three from the Army and one each from the Navy and Air Force. The officers also help with coordination, communication and official protocol.

The position therefore involves more than appearing alongside the President at public functions. ADCs form part of the military support structure around the office and assist with the smooth conduct of official engagements.

Major Navya Shekhawat’s Army journey

Shekhawat’s entry into the Army began with the Union Public Service Commission’s Combined Defence Services examination. She was subsequently selected for the Short Service Commission Women Non-Technical Course and trained at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai, according to reports on her career. Her name also appears in the official CDS (I) 2020 OTA women’s merit list.

After completing her training, she was commissioned into the Army Service Corps, a branch associated with logistical support within the Army. She was commissioned in 2021 and reached the rank of Major within about five years, according to reports on her appointment.

Her move to Rashtrapati Bhavan now places her in a high-profile military appointment, where she accompanies President Murmu during official engagements and ceremonies.

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Second woman overall to become President’s ADC

Although Shekhawat is the first woman Army officer to become the President’s ADC, she is the second woman officer overall to hold the position.

The first was Lieutenant Commander Yashasvi Solanki, who was appointed from the Indian Navy in 2025. Her appointment was described as a milestone because no woman officer had previously served as the President’s ADC.

Shekhawat’s appointment comes amid the wider expansion of opportunities for women in the Indian armed forces. Women began entering the Army as officers through the Short Service Commission route in the early 1990s. In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled in the Babita Puniya case that eligible women Short Service Commission officers in the Army were entitled to consideration for Permanent Commission on a basis comparable with male officers.

The government subsequently issued formal approval for Permanent Commission for women officers in 10 Army streams, including the Army Service Corps.

Major Shekhawat’s appointment as the first woman Army officer to serve as the President’s ADC adds another milestone to that progression, placing her in a role traditionally held by officers drawn from the three services.