The Supreme Court today took exception to the Centre's failure to come with a clear policy on giving permanent commission to the women serving as short service commission officers in defence services.
Asking the government to take a final stand on the issue, a bench of Justices N V Ramana and S A Nazeer directed the Ministry of Defence to file an affidavit in this regard.
During the hearing, the counsel for the Centre told the bench that a meeting of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force was held and it was decided to extend the benefit of permanent commission to some cadres.
The Centre sought six months to come out with a final policy.
The apex court observed the government cannot adopt a "discriminatory" approach in extending benefits and directed the Centre to file an affidavit within two weeks before May 8, the next date of hearing.
Explaining about the prevailing situation in defence services on the issue, Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh told the court that the three forces were examining the options in which permanent commission could be granted to the women officers.
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Advocate Meenakshi Lekhi, appearing for some of the women officers, said there was a need to urgently settle the issue which has been dragging since 2010.
The court was hearing a Ministry of Defence plea for staying the March 12, 2010 judgment of the Delhi High Court, which had directed the navy to grant permanent commission to all its women officers on short service commission.
The high court had rejected the government's contention that permanent commission could be allowed only prospectively.
"If male officers can be granted permanent commission, there is no reason why equally capable women officers can't be," the high court had said.