New Delhi: The Supreme Court directed the Centre to grant permanent commissions to all women officers in the Army’s non-combat streams as it tore into the Centre’s citing women officer’s physiological features including their household responsibilities to oppose it.

The Court on Monday called the Centre for changing attitudes and mindsets on women officers. A Supreme Court bench comprises of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Ajay Rastogi gave three months time to the Union Government to comply with its directions. The Judges while thrashing the arguments about women being handicapped by physiological and other factors as put forward by the Centre for denying permanent commission officers who entered the force under the Short Service Commission (SSC).

It was an affront to their dignity as the Army officers. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said that to cast aspersions on their abilities on the ground of gender is an affront not only to their dignity as women but to the dignity of the members of the Indian Army. Men and women who serve as equal citizens in a common mission, he said. The Court described as disturbing the argument that woman, by the nature of their biological composition and shows a milieu, have less important role to play than their male counterparts. Such a submission is disturbing as it ignores the solemn constitution values which every institution in the nation is bound to uphold and facilitate, said in a Judgement.

The Centre had claimed that the Army was a way of life, requiring sacrifice and commitment beyond the call of duty inherent physiological differences between men and women. The women officers who have to deal with pregnancy, motherhood, children and family may not be suited to a soldier’s life.