In response to a plea from a woman aspiring pilot, the Delhi High Court expressed the hope that the top officials in the Indian Air Force will review why qualified women who are deemed fit for flying duties are not being commissioned, particularly when there are vacancies that male candidates have not filled.
A division bench of Justices Rekha Palli and Shalinder Kaur has recently issued notices to the Central Government, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Ministry of Defence, National Defence Academy (NDA) and Directorate of Personnel (Offrs) Air Headquarters on the petition filed by one Archana. The matter has been listed on September 12 for further hearing.
The High Court is hearing a petition seeking a direction to the respondents to permit the petitioner to fill up the vacancy for the post of “Air Force (i) Flying” in terms of an advertisement of May 17, 2023. The petitioner’s job application was rejected despite more than 20 vacancies being available, purely on grounds of gender discrimination.
“While adjourning the matter, we hope that the highest authority in the Indian Air Force will dispassionately examine this aspect and consider why competent women, who are found fit for flying duties cannot be commissioned when the notified vacancies could not be filled up by male candidates,” the division bench said on August 30.
The petitioner has also sought direction to respondents for clarifying that the vacancies as listed in the Advertisement dated May 17, 2023, issued by the UPSC as it reads on page 4 does not mean to exclude female candidates found to be eligible and ‘fit to fly’.
The High Court noted that the submission of counsel Sahil Mongia for the petitioner is that even though the petitioner had not challenged the advertisement issued by the respondents wherein a very small percentage of vacancies were reserved for female candidates in the Flying Branch, once some of the notified vacancies in the Flying Branch have remained unfilled, there is no reason as to why those vacancies cannot be filled up by commissioning competent woman.
Published - September 04, 2024 08:45 pm IST
