LI NETWORK
The top court has put the release of ten women naval officers on hold.
Two separate petitions were filed by 10 women short service commissions who were to be released from December 31.
The Apex court, on March 17, this year asked the Centre and the Navy to grant PC (Permanent Commission) to SSC women officers and asked them to complete the modalities within 3 months which was later extended till December 31.
The case was filed in SC named as Union of India & others v. Ltd. Cdr. Annie Nagraj & others.
The bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and Aniruddha Bose took a note of the submission of Senior Advocate Meenakshi Arora who was appearing for the women naval officers and granted interim relief.
The bench asked the Centre and the Chief of Naval Staff to file their replies and fix their pleas for the further hearing on January 19.
It said, “we will direct the matter to be listed on January 19 along with the pending writ petitions. In the meanwhile, there will be a stay on the order of December 18.”
The Centre was represented by Senior Advocate R Balasubramanian.
The timeline was extended by Justice DY Chandrachud.
The women have challenged the order of the government of February 2008 granting PC to women in all three branches of armed forces.