The Supreme Court has cleared the path for women's entry into the NDA.
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Supreme Court rejects Govt. request to delay women's entry into NDA
- No more delays: The Supreme Court of India allowed women to take the National Defence Academy (NDA) entrance exam in November 2021 itself, and not wait till May 2022. The government had requested one more year.
- SC's stand: The court said it doesn’t want women to be denied their right, although the Centre had told it earlier that a notification allowing women candidates to appear for the NDA exam would be out by May '21. A Study Group was constituted by the defence services, comprising experts, to formulate the comprehensive curriculum for women cadets at NDA. A Board of Officers too was convened to give a holistic and futuristic proposal for training women at the academy.
- They are well-equipped: The SC bench headed by Justice S K Kaul said the armed forces are the best response team to deal with emergency situations and it is hopeful that necessary arrangements will be put in place to pave the way for the induction of women in NDA without delay.
- Proess: There are two exams that take place in a year — NDA I and NDA II. For the first exam, UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) issues notification in January and for the second exam notification is issued in May and June. Exams take place in April for the January notification and for the June notification exam takes place in September. The process is such that joining takes place in the next year. So, if the notification comes out in May 2022, the intake will happen in June 2023.
- The bench said that to create some element of infrastructure, the Centre needs time but the absorption process of female candidates cannot be postponed by one year.
- The government reasoned that a Study Group was constituted to examine the changes in curriculum, infrastructure, fitness training, accommodation facilities et al and sought for skipping the upcoming entrance exam slated on November 14. The Court rejected it, and said that the process has to begin and other issues may go on in a phased manner.
- Direct issue, resolve quickly: The court said the issue is not so complex. Exam has already been directed to be held and the interim orders have been issued in July. But the UPSC was yet to issue the corrigendum notification, as it was awaiting certain instructions from the Defence Ministry. The court then directed that the needful be done by the Defence Department in this regard by collaborating with the UPSC.
- Knowledge centre:
- NDA - The National Defence Academy (NDA) is a global brand of excellence in the sphere of military education. Over the years, it emerged as a unique military academy, attracting the best of youth from India and friendly foreign countries and transforming them into gentlemen officers. During the last seven decades of its glorious existence, its alumni have proved to be great mountaineers, cosmonauts, sportsmen, researchers, creative writers, artists and more recently, Olympic champions. Their achievements are all pervading and showcased in every echelon of our Armed Forces and also in the civil society. The NDA was conceived at the conclusion of the Second World war. Six years of fierce combat had emphatically underlined the need for 'Jointness' in modern warfare, and it was believed then that it is primarily the element of synergy that provides an asymmetric edge in a conflict situation. The Government of Sudan in 1941 had given a generous gift of a hundred thousand pounds to Lord Linlithgow, the Viceroy of India, to build a war memorial to commemorate the sacrifices of the Indian troops in the Second World War for the liberation of Sudan. It was this core corpus that was later utilised to build the Sudan Block, the grand edifice of the National Defence Academy. On 02 May 1945, a Committee was formed under the Chairmanship of the Commander-in-Chief, India, Field Marshal Sir Claude J Auchinleck, to examine the feasibility of forming an institution with excellent facilities for training the officers of the Armed Forces jointly.
- Location - On 1 January 1949, the Armed Forces Academy having its military Academy and the Indian Military Academy and the Joint Services Wing were commissioned. After two years of training at the JSW, the Army cadets went on to the Military wing for a further two year pre-commission training. The Naval and the Air force cadets were sent to Dartmouth and Cranwell in UK for advanced training. On 07 December 1954, the interim process crystallized with the commissioning of National Defence Academy and the Academy was formally inaugurated on 16 January 1955. National Defence Academy is located on south-west of Pune city and north-west of Khadakwasla Lake on 7015 acres of land, Out of the 8022 acres donated by the Government of the erstwhile Bombay state. The other suggested sites were Bombay (particularly Marve) , Bangalore, Dehradun, Belgum, Deolali (Nashik), Puri, Secunderabad and Vizag. Pune was chosen after deliberation for its salubrious climatic conditions, suitability of terrain for military training, proximity to the Arabian sea. Operational existence of a combined training center and the 'mock' landing ship, HMS Angostura, on the north bank of the Khadakwasla Lake lent additional leverage.
- EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain the various ways women get entry in the Indian armed forces. (2) Why is the Supreme Court insisting on a quick entry for women candidates in the NDA system? Explain. (3) "Earnings rights for women takes decades, but undoing it can take just a few days". Do you agree? Explain.
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