Eeshna Dashottar, Pune
The Supreme Court addressed the Center on Monday and asked them to take urgent steps to ensure that eligible women officers get permanent commission in the Indian Coast Guard. The appeal came about during the hearing of the plea of a woman officer of the Indian Coast Guard. The plea was heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, and Justices J. B. Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra.
CJI DY Chandrachud addressed the center and remarked that women cannot be left out, and hence, necessary actions need to be taken by the government. He also stated that the Supreme Court will further intervene in this issue if the Center does not do so. Functional and operational shortcomings that will hinder the grant of permanent commission to women officers were also highlighted by Attorney General R. Venkataramani. CJI commented on these difficulties and said that they will not hold water in 2024 and that women must be duly included in the services.
The plea was put forth by Priyanka Tyagi, who was rejected from seeking permanent commission in the Coast Guard. She has served as a pilot for ICG for 14 years as a short service appointment officer in the rank of assistant commandant. Her service is marked by countless acts of valour, – saving more than 300 lives in the sea, logging 4,500 flying hours, the highest among men and women in the armed forces. However, her calibre was put aside as she was denied the permanent commission. Senior advocate Archana Pathak Dave, who represented petitioner Priyanka Tyagi, highlighted the point that deployment of women officers on board ships in the Navy is prevalent, whereas discussions on the same in the Indian Coast Guard are still being considered. When similar points were raised in court in 2020 regarding the deployment of women officers in the Army, the arguments were dismissed on the grounds of physiological limitations and social norms.
The court has further scheduled the plea for hearing on March 1, 2024, as the issue could not be discussed entirely due to the paucity of time on Monday.