SC directs Centre to allow women entry to NDA from November 2021

NEW DELHI:

Rejecting the Centre’s plea to allow women to sit for the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam from next year, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it doesn’t want women to be denied their right.

After hearing the petition, a bench headed by Justice S K Kaul said that women will be allowed to sit in the NDA exam in November next year.

"We gave hope to the girls. We cannot deny them that hope now," said the judge maintaining that “the no exam today, exam tomorrow" approach would go against the aspirations of young women.

The government had earlier requested the Apex court that the first batch of women candidates can take up the exam in May 2022, given the necessary infrastructure requirements to be put in place before they can be inducted into the prestigious institute.

The Supreme Court, in its response, further said that the armed forces have dealt with difficult situations and emergencies, and they can deal with this as well.

Highlighting that the NDA exam is a time-bound process running through various stages, Justices SK Kaul and BR Gavai stated that if the women candidates take up the exam in May 2022, then the intake will happen in January 2023.

The National Defence Academy is an all-men military training academy that trains cadres for higher roles in the armed forces and all this while, only unmarried male candidates were allowed to appear for the exam, debarring women from doing the same.

However, in a historical decision taken on September 8, the Centre allowed women to be inducted into NDA, opening up avenues for aspiring females who want to serve the nation in top ranks of the army.

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