The court noted that the Army and Navy have already implemented the policy. (Representative)
New Delhi:
Slamming the Center for adopting a “patriarchal” approach on permanent commission for women in the Coast Guard, the Supreme Court has asked why the force should be any different when the Army and Navy have already implemented the policy.
Saying that if women can protect the borders then they can also protect the coasts, the bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud also said that the government keeps talking about “women power” and now the time has come That he should show his commitment.
While hearing the petition of Women Coast Guard Short Service Appointment Officer Priyanka Tyagi on Monday, the Chief Justice said, “You (Central Government) talk. women power, women power, now show it here. I don’t think the Coast Guard can say they can be out of bounds when the Army, Navy have done it. Why are you so patriarchal that you don’t want to see women in the Coast Guard? Why do you have an indifferent attitude towards the Coast Guard?”
The bench, also comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Mishra, was responding to Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee’s contention that the Coast Guard operates in a different domain than the Army and Navy.
The bench said, “We will open the entire case.” Gone are the days when it was said that women could not be in the Coast Guard. If women can protect the borders, women can protect the coasts too.” That the Supreme Court’s historic Babita Punia judgment was not read.
In the 2020 decision, the court had directed that women officers in the army should be given permanent commission. It had rejected the government’s argument of “physical limitations and social norms”, noting that it went against the concept of equality and smacked of gender bias.
Ms Tyagi was part of the Coast Guard’s first all-women contingent, which was deployed for maintenance of Dornier aircraft in the force’s fleet. In her petition, she has demanded equality with male officers for permanent commission. Ms Tyagi was relieved from service in December after she refused to be considered for permanent commission and the Delhi High Court refused to grant interim relief.
Arguing on behalf of Ms Tyagi, senior advocate Archana Pathak Dave invoked the fundamental right to equality and said, like in the Army, women personnel should be promoted and given the opportunity to become commissioned officers in the Coast Guard.
