New Delhi, March 25: There is good news from the Supreme Court for women Short Service (SSC) officers serving in all the three services of the Army. The Supreme Court has ruled that women officers who were deprived of Permanent Commission (PC) due to wrong valuation are also eligible to get the benefit of full pension.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and N. Kotishwar Singh gave the verdict. The verdict has been given by ordering that these women officers, even if they were prematurely relieved from service, should be considered as having served at least 20 years for pension.
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Wing Commander Sucheta Eden and others had approached the Supreme Court, challenging the denial of permanent commission due to the orders of the previous Armed Forces Tribunal and the change in policy made in 2019. The bench, which heard the petition, said that women officers are being given grades negligently in the annual confidential reports. This is done with the feeling that women are not eligible for career advancement. It has an adverse effect on the overall merit of women officers.
In the case of the Air Force, the service period criteria and minimum performance criteria were implemented in a hurry in 2019. Thus, the bench, which said that the officers did not get a proper opportunity to fulfill those criteria, gave the verdict on pension using the special powers granted under Article 142 of the Constitution.