New Delhi
The Delhi High Court instructed the Ministry of Defence to consider a petition challenging a recruitment notification that barred women from applying to the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), and Air Force Academy (IAF) due to gender.
The petitioner, Kush Kalra, claimed that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) issued a notice for the Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam, held on April 21, 2024, restricting women to the Officers Training Academy (OTA). The plea highlighted that this restriction contradicts the UPSC’s own goal of promoting gender balance.
The bench of Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora directed the Ministry of Defence to address the representation within eight weeks, allowing women to join the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force through the CDS exam.
Kalra’s plea noted that the Supreme Court’s interim order on August 18, 2021, had permitted women to take the CDS exam, and the armed services had decided to induct females into the National Defense Academy (NDA). However, the new notification excludes women from the IMA, INA, and IAF, suggesting a step backward. The court’s direction aims to ensure that women are not unjustly excluded from these military academies based on gender.
