The Supreme Court reprimanded the Central Government on the issue of giving permanent commission to women Coast Guard officers.
Giving an ultimatum today, the court said that women cannot be left out and if you do not do so, we will do it.
During the hearing of this case, Attorney General R Venkataramani presented the Central Government’s side. He told that the work of Coast Guard is different from that of Army and Navy.
At present structural changes are being made in it. The board has been established by the Indian Coast Guard. On this the SC said that arguments like efficiency do not matter in 2024. Women cannot be left out. There should also be women on your board.
The Supreme Court directed the Navy to form a new selection board to consider the eligibility of a retired woman officer of the Navy for grant of Permanent Service Commission.
The apex court exercised its extraordinary power under Article 142 of the Constitution, which empowers it to pass any decree or order necessary to do complete justice in any case across the country pending before it.
The court has listed the matter for hearing on Friday.
Hearing on the petition of Commodore Seema Chaudhary
A special bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli heard the petition of Commodore Seema Chaudhary, resident of Ambala, Haryana.
The petition states that he was wrongly denied permanent commission in the Indian Navy. Chaudhary was working in the Judge Advocate General’s Department, the legal branch of the Indian Navy, as a Short Service Commission (SSC) officer since 2007. He was relieved from service on August 5, 2022.
SC has asked the Navy to set up a selection board. This Board will consider the matter of grant of permanent commission without being influenced by any comments made in any judicial or quasi-judicial proceedings on or before April 15.
The bench said that no Annual Confidential Report of the officer will be considered while examining his plea for grant of permanent commission.
The bench said that if the officers are aggrieved by the subsequent order in the matter relating to the petition related to grant of permanent commission, then they can seek legal remedy.