Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has ordered the Defence Ministry to address within eight weeks a plea seeking the inclusion of women candidates in the Indian Military Academy, the Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy, through the Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination. A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora urged the Union Government to adjudicate on the representation submitted by petitioner Kush Kalra.
“The writ petition is disposed of with direction to Defendant No. 2 (MoD) to decide petitioner’s representation dated December 22, 2023, in accordance with law in 8 weeks,” the Bench stated in its order.
UPSC notification
Kalra’s petition challenges the UPSC’s December 2023, notification that bars females from participating in CDS exams for recruitment in various branches of the Indian armed forces.
The court said that the Government should resolve the matter promptly, free from the influence of pending litigation.
Kalra’s representation was filed due to the lack of response from the authorities. Her representation argued that the ministry of defence’s removal of barriers for entry of women through the NDA examination, allowed since 2021, highlights the inconsistency in barring women from the CDS examination.
