Supreme Court hears a crucial plea challenging gender-based selection in Indian Army’s JAG branch.
Case in News
Supreme Court to decide JAG vacancy policy amid gender bias claims in Indian Army recruitment.
Case Overview
Case Name : Arshnoor Kaur & Anr vs. Union of India & Ors
The Supreme Court of India is set to rule on a significant case relating to gender-based vacancy allocation in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) branch of the Indian Army . 2 women petitioners including Arshnoor Kaur have alleged that the current system of reserving fewer vacancies for women despite higher merit rankings violates their fundamental rights . The case brings into focus the broader issue of Gender Equality in military recruitment.
Before delivering the final verdict the Supreme Court provided interim relief to Arshnoor Kaur by directing her induction into the next available JAG training course.
Key Aspects
The major important elements relating to the case has be explained in brief below-
- Arshnoor Kaur ranked 4th in the merit list but was not selected as only 3 out of 9 seats were for women.
- Male candidates with lower ranks were selected due to higher vacancy allocation for men.
- The 2nd petitioner joined the Navy and must clarify her stance on continuing the case .
- Petitioners argue the policy violates equality provisions under Articles 14, 15 and 16 of Indian Constitution.
- The Centre claims the JAG branch whle legal in function which requires operational readiness like combat arms.
Legal Insights
The legal provisions related to this news are mentioned as under-
- Article 14 : Right to equality before law.
- Article 15 : Prohibits gender-based discrimination.
- Article 16 : Equal opportunity in public employment.
- Petitioners seek a unified merit list, irrespective of gender .
- ASG Aishwarya Bhati defended separate SSBs and merit lists for men and women citing military standards.
- 50:50 gender ratio policy (2024) cited as a step toward balanced representation without compromising readiness .
Court’s Verdict
The Supreme Court of India granted interim relief to Arshnoor Kaur directing her induction into the next training course . The final ruling on the validity of gender-differentiated vacancies in the Judge Advocate General entry scheme of the Indian Army is awaited .
Source: Supreme Court of India
Read also- Article 14 of Indian Constitution
