India to give women permanent commission in armed forces

India has decided to give women a permanent commission in the military, a landmark decision that could pave the way for female officers to head the armed forces in the future.

Currently, women are recruited in the three wings of the military -- the Army, the Navy and the Air Force -- only as short service commission officers.

The latest decision of the government to admit women into the National Defence Academy (NDA) for permanent commission into the armed forces was conveyed to the Supreme Court by a top state lawyer on Wednesday, prompting the judges to hail the move.

"I have great news. The service chiefs and government have decided that girls will be given permanent commission through NDA and Naval academy. The decision was taken late last evening," Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the court.

"The policy and procedure are being worked out to enable women to get permanent commission in the three defence forces," he added.

The apex court lauded the decision. “We have been judging this for a long time. On gender equality, the armed forces have to do more. I'm happy that the heads of the armed forces have taken the decision. A compliment goes to you for persuading them.”

"We are extremely glad to know that the armed forces themselves took the decision to induct women into the NDA. We know that reforms cannot happen in a day... The government will place timelines of the process and the course of action," the judges said.

"The armed forces play an important role... but need to do more for gender equality in the forces. We want them to take a proactive approach themselves in ensuring gender equality rather than waiting for courts to intervene," the court added.

The apex court was hearing a petition for allowing women to take NDA and Naval Academy examinations.