Women in command

Decision on permanent commission was long overdue

India’s military has a well-deserved reputation of being a meritocracy that treats its members equally, irrespective of religion, caste, or colour. Unfortunately, it has never been gender-neutral, steeped, like most militaries worldwide, in patriarchal notions of gender roles. As a consequence, even though women were allowed to serve as officers since 1992, their terms of service have remained severely circumscribed, especially compared with their male counterparts. The Supreme Court’s judgment on Monday goes a long way towards levelling the playing field.

In its essence, the court has addressed a petition by a group of 332 women officers challenging the terms