SC directs army to reinstate 11 women officers

Saturday, 03 September 2011 01:30
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the army to reinstate 11 short service commission women officers who had been released after completion of 14 years in service.
The apex court asked the army to take the officers back from September 12 continuing their service from the date they joined.
A bench of justices J M Panchal and H L Gokhale said the order reinstating them would be subject to the outcome of the appeal filed by the army against the March 12, 2010 judgment of the Delhi high court.
The high court had earlier directed it to grant permanent commission to 11 serving women officers, who had filed a petition.
The apex court made it clear that its order is confined only to the 11 woman officers who had approached the high court and said the army would reinstate them in terms of the high court order.
It said the high court order will be in operation as it was not stayed when the army had challenged it.
The 11 officers were relieved from the service during the pendency of the petition in the high court in 2009-10.

The high court had granted the army two months to implement its judgment. The court had later issued to it notice for contempt of court after it failed to comply with the order within the requisite time limit. The operation of the contempt notice was stayed by the apex court.
During the hearing, the army opposed reinstatement of the woman officers in terms of the high court judgment, but the apex court did not agree with it and held that the high court judgment should be allowed to operate.
"There is no stay of the high court judgment. Then why don't they continue in the service. They were petitioners in the high court," the bench said during the hearing while adding the 11 woman officers were entitled to take the benefit of the high court order.
"Are they not entitled to the benefit of the high court order? There is no stay. In order to see that the high offices in military did not face any inconvenience, the contempt proceeding was stayed," the bench observed.
The court also noted that all 11 officers were on the administrative side of the army.
The officers who are going to be benefited by the apex court order are -- Major Sandhya Yadav, Major Renu Nautiyal, Major N V N Rao, Major Annapurna, Lt Col Ashu Yadav, Lt Col Sangeeta Sardana, Major Prerna Pandit, Lt Col Renu Khima, Major Seema Singh, Lt Col Monica Mishra and Major Rita Taneja.
SC directs army to reinstate 11 women officers

Comment by Capt Ravi:
Don't know about professionalism or work style of Ladies in Army, cannot comment on scandels that have surfaced around lady officers but one thing is clear. Lady Officers proved to be tougher than Short Service male Officers. Many young lives were ruined where young boys joined as SS Officers and were discouraged to apply for Permanent Commission. I am also one of those who suffered by quitting Army ( though my unit Officers never made such situations) but many others in service did so. Adding insult to injury is the fact where released Officers are denied benefits like: Membership of DSOI Delhi & many other SOIs, Many EPTAs (Golf Courses) , admissions for our Wards in AWES institutions and last but not the least Medical facility of ECHS. Come on SS Officers Learn from Lady Officers. Ladies are really on Top.
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