The Supreme Court Said Women Must Get Commanding Positions In Indian Army And That Women Are No Lesser Than The Men. Finally!
Recently, I had gone for a standup comedy show and one of the comedians satirically spoke about the state of our society. He said that one of his female friends was going gaga about her date and when he asked her the reason, she said that at the end of the date when he leaned in for a kiss, she said no and he respected her choice. He spoke about how our standards are so low that we are impressed by someone who does nothing extraordinary but gives a woman some basic respect.
Why am I talking about this? Because we are really happy with Supreme Court’s judgement allowing women in the army to get commanding positions. This is how everyone should be but it’s so rare in India that it we are are lauding a decision that’s technically a no-brainer. And then, as I went through the mind-blowing things Supreme Court said, I swear it felt like music to my ears.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtELcIJl4Qj/
The government had told the SC that the “troops are not yet mentally schooled to accept women officers in command of units” because they are “predominantly drawn from a rural background.” But SC dismissed the government’s arguments deeming them “discriminatory” and “disturbing”. A woman colonel can now command a battalion now, which is really wholesome! And this must be implemented in the next three months
Justices DY Chandrachud and Ajay Rastogi who made this ruling said, “Physiological features of women have no link to their rights. The mindset must change.” They further went ahead and said the words we’ve been dying to hear, “Women work shoulder to shoulder with men. The centre’s submission is based on gender discrimination and stereotype. Women Army officers brought laurels to the county.” Not like we need anyone’s validation but this is a milestone event in changing our society’s collective mindset. This is a major leap towards the revolution we’ve been working towards.
In a landmark judgement, #SupremeCourt says women will have the same rights as men when it comes to permanent service commissions in the #army. @SidharthPandey with more details#IndianArmy #WomenInArmy
More news @ https://t.co/nRA1LedPkA pic.twitter.com/whfIu1iAD2
— GoNewsIndia (@GoNews_India) February 17, 2020
Not just that, the Supreme Court said women who served less than 14 years in the Short Service Commission (SSC) in the Army must be given the option of permanent commission. “We see no reason to grant permanent commission only to those who had have more than 14 years in service,” the court said.
Lt Col Anjali Bisht, Lt Col Seema Singh, Lt Col Sandhya Yadav and Lt Col Sonia Sehwal.
Congratulations !
The #SupremeCourt said that the permanent service commission will apply to all women officers in the Army. #IndianArmy #WomenInArmy@ikaveri pic.twitter.com/Tao48ApcyM— Mantu Sharma (@sharma31smantu) February 17, 2020
In fact, SC was appalled by the gender bias that has existed in the Army for decades. “To cast aspersions on gender is an affront to their dignity and to the country. Time has come that women officers are not adjunct to their male counterparts,” said the Supreme Court. The government based its argument on the physical and psychological capabilities of women and the court condemned their stance. These “need to be rejected with the contempt that they deserve,” the judges said.
ALSO READ: The Centre Implies That Women In Commanding Positions In The Indian Army Might Bruise The Fragile Male Egos. Too Bad, Ask Them To Deal, We Say
Currently, women don’t have the choice to take on combat roles like infantry, armoured, mechanised infantry, aviation and artillery. This move is a major shift in attitudes and we’re celebrating. My faith is restored and I hope more such changes await us. Because it’s not just women in the Army that need equality!
