Army open to give pension to women officers meeting criteria

Permanent Commission cannot be applied to them retrospectively, it says

The Army is open to giving pension to women officers who have finished the pensionable service limit, defence sources said on Monday. The limit for officers is 20 years and for Junior Commissioned Officers and Other Ranks 15 years.

On Permanent Commission (PC), sources said the Army has already opened several areas recently and prospectively but that cannot be applied retrospectively to the women officers who have taken the legal route on Permanent Commission. “Women officers who have finished the pensionable service, Army is open to give pension,” a source said adding they cannot be granted PC now as the terms of service they were recruited on were different and have changed several times since.

Last week, the government cited ‘physical’ and “physiological limitations” in grant of command positions to women offers in the Army to which the Supreme Court had said there is need for administrative will and “change of mindset”.

The SC was hearing an appeal by the Defence Ministry against the Delhi High Court judgment in 2010 granting permanent commission for Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers. The next date of hearing is on Tuesday.

There are about 322 women officers who have approached the SC on the PC. The issue of command postings came up in the discussion on subsequent avenues after the grant of PC.