Special selection board to consider women Army officers promotion, SC told (Lead)

New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS) The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that a special selection board has been convened in January next year to examine the promotion of 246 women Army officers.

Senior advocate R. Balasubramanian, representing the Ministry of Defence, told a bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud that the issue of promotion of these women officers will be examined by a special selection board, which would sit for 13 days - from January 2 to 22, 2023.

The bench, also comprising Justice P.S. Narasimha, told the petitioners' counsel it is seized of the matter and the government is saying that by January 23, the special selection board will be over.

It was informed that all the women officers who joined the Army between 1992 and 2006 would be considered for 150 additional vacancies in the colonel rank, which were recently sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Finance.

The bench said it will keep the matter after January 23, and scheduled the matter for further hearing on January 30. It also asked the government to file an updated report, before the board's results are put out.

Balasubramanian contended that male officers whose promotions were cleared in the last two selection boards would not receive their placements until the one scheduled exclusively for women in January finalised its list.

On December 9, the top court had observed that the Army has not been fair to the women officers who claimed delay in promotion after they were granted permanent commission following the apex court's direction in 2020. The top court had queried the counsel, representing the armed forces and the central government, that why these women officers were not considered for promotion in October.

Counsel, representing the women officers, had contended that since the 2020 judgment, 1,200 junior male officers have been promoted. The top court was informed that the Army has sanctioned 150 seats for promotion of women officers.

The apex court was hearing a plea by 34 women Army officers, who claimed that junior male officers are being considered over them for promotions.