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The Centre on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that the special selection board would consider issues relating to the promotion of 246 women Army officers.
Appearing for Centre, senior advocate R Balasubramanian informed the Bench that roughly 246 women officers will be considered for promotion on January 9, 2023. A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha posted the matter for further hearing on January 30, next year. The court also directed the results of the Board to be placed before it. The court was hearing a plea of the Army women officers, stating that even after clear directions of the Supreme Court in the historic Babita Punia case in February 2020, the promotions to higher ranks of women officers have still not been implemented. The plea was filed through advocate Rakesh Kumar. According to the plea, in a letter dated November 23, 2021, the respondents announced that as an exception and one-time measure, a Special No. 3 Selection Board will be conducted for Women Officers to promote them to the Colonel Rank (Select Grade). It further said, that accordingly, all non-JC (Junior Command) Course qualified women officers till Batch 2004 were detailed for Middle-Level Tactical Orientation Course (MLTOC), in lieu of mandatory Junior Command Course and after doing MLTOC, the women Officers became fully eligible to be considered by a Special No. 3 Selection Board for being promoted to the Colonel Rank(Select Grade) and thus, the respondents had no justifiable reason to delay in conducting Selection Board No. 3 for aforesaid Senior Women Officers. The plea said that it was completely unjustified, unsustainable, illegal, unreasonable, arbitrary and a matter of great humiliation and insult to the Senior Women Officers that respondents have been promoting junior Gentleman Officers to Colonel Rank, while withholding the promotion of the Senior Women Officers, the applicant said. In the plea, the applicant sought to direct the respondents to conduct Selection Board for the eligible Women Officers, as per pro-rata vacancies at pat with their male counterparts, immediately, in terms of letter dated November 23, 2021, by deferring the Selection Board No. 3 for promoting Junior Gentleman Officers as proposed vide letter dated September 12, 2022, and further the existing vacancies specified in letter dated September 23, 2022, for promoting Junior Gentleman Officers, be given to the senior women officers, and restrain the respondents from declassification of result the Selection Board No.3. proposed to be conducted vide letter dated 12.09.2022, for promotion of Junior Gentleman Officers to Colonel Rank(Select Grade), till disposal of the present application. The plea also sought to direct the respondents to conduct Selection Board No. 2 for the Women Officers who will be promoted to Colonel Rank and whose male counterparts have already been considered by Selection Board No. 2 for promotion to Brigadier Rank. The plea also sought to direct the respondents to grant financial benefits with penal interest at the rate of 12 per cent per annum to the women officers who will get promotions to Colonel Rank and Brigadier Rank, from the date on which their male counterparts got a promotion the Colonel and Brigadier Rank. The plea also sought a direction to the respondents to grant study leave and/or deputation to willing women officers by relaxing the terms and conditions with respect to residual service. (ANI)
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