On Thursday, the Supreme Court stays order release issued by the Indian Navy to a woman officer without considering her claim for permanent commission.
The lady officer, Lt Cdr Harmeet Kaur approached Supreme Court saying that case was covered by
LtCdr. Annie Nagaraja, Judgment of March 2020, the Navy was directed to grant permanent commission to women officers.
Advocate Pooja Dhar, the petitioner counsel submitted before a bench led by Justices D Y Chandrachud that she belonged to the ATC cadre of the Indian Navy and petitioner was on the same footing as the Priya Khurana’s case, which was covered by the March 17 Judgment of the Supreme Court. While the petitioner was pursuing her remedy before the Armed Forces Tribunal, the Navy served her a letter on November 4 stating that she will be released from service with effect from November 20.
A writ petition in the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution was filed by the petitioner.
Justices Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee directed that the release letter should not be given effect to till the next date of posting. Justices D Y Chandrachud and Ajay Rastogi on March 17 held in the case Union of India vs. Ld Cdr Annie Nagaraja and others “serving women Short Service Commission Officers in Indian Navy were entitled to Permanent Commission at par with their male counterparts”.
Court directed, the judgment should be implemented within three months.
A Judgment favouring the extension of Permanent Commission for women in the Indian Army was delivered by the same bench on February 17 in the case The Secretary, Ministry of Defence vs. Babita Puniya and others.
The Supreme Court on October 29 extended the deadline for giving permanent commission to women officers in the Navy to 31 December.
