The Indian Army announced that it is conducting women officers Special Selection Board for the promotion from the rank of Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel, ANI reported on Thursday, January 19. For the first time, women officers will be able to command units in their respective arms and services. The SSB began on January 9 and will run till January 22.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Defence, 244 female officers are being considered for promotion for 108 vacancies and nearly 80 officers have reportedly been cleared.
The promotion bid is considering women officers from the 1992-2006 batch against 108 vacancies. Engineers Corps, Intelligence Corps, Army Service Corps, Signals, Army Air Defence, Army Ordnance Corps, and Electrical & Mechanical Engineers are among the women officers under consideration for promotion in the Indian Army (EME).
To ensure that the selection board conducts the promotion process fairly, 60 female officers have been deployed as Selection Board observers. This is also intended to clarify any doubts pertaining to the process of selection.
The Indian Army announced that at the conclusion of the promotion selection process, the shortlisted female officers will be assigned to command positions by the end of January 2023. In addition, the Indian Army has granted women officers Permanent Commission (PC) in order to provide equal opportunity. With this promotion, female officers will be able to hold higher ranks and responsibilities at par with their male counterparts.
Additionally, the Indian Army is mulling granting Permanent Commission to women officers in junior batches.
It may be recalled that on 23rd July 2020, the Government of India formally issued the sanction letter for grant of the Permanent Commission to women officers in the Indian Army, which meant to empower women officers to hold larger roles in the military.
Permanent Commission in Army for women – A decades-old battle
Permanent Commission in Army refers to the option of continuing as an officer in the Army till the age of retirement, i.e. 60 years. For permanent commission, an officer has to join the National Defence Academy (NDA), Indian Military Academy (IMA) or Officers Training Academy (OTA). Till date, women were not allowed for combat roles in the Indian Army. In 2010, Delhi High Court passed a judgement in which it allowed Permanent Commission in Indian Army. The then-Congress government opposed the decision and filed a petition against the judgement in the Supreme Court. It took almost a decade for the court to complete the proceedings and allow Permanent Commission for women in Indian Army. The central government that was opposing the commission under Congress rule changed its stand under BJP and supported the Permanent Commission for women. However, they suggested some restrictions which were rejected by the Supreme Court.