The Delhi High Court has directed the central government to respond to a petition that challenges the exclusion of women from certain military training academies through the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination. Currently, women candidates are eligible only to apply to the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai, while institutes such as the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Naval Academy (INA), and Air Force Academy (AFA) remain inaccessible to them.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay described the issue as serious, highlighting that women officers are being denied permanent positions within the Army. The court has scheduled the next hearing for November 2025.
The petition, filed by advocate Kush Kalra, disputes the notification from the UPSC CDS-II 2025, issued on May 28, which permits women candidates to apply exclusively to the OTA. Graduates from the IMA, AFA, and INA earn permanent commissions, while those from the OTA can only secure a short service commission, limited to 10 years with the possibility of extending it for an additional four years. The training duration also varies significantly; the IMA, AFA, and INA conduct programs lasting about 18 months, while OTA training is completed in 49 weeks.
Kalra’s petition argues that this exclusion contravenes Articles 14, 16, and 19(1)(g) of the Constitution. It references a landmark Supreme Court ruling from 2020 that granted women equal rights to permanent commissions and command postings, as well as a subsequent 2021 decision that allowed women to sit for the National Defence Academy (NDA) examination.
The petitioner emphasizes that women are already serving in various combat-support and command roles, raising questions about the justification behind their exclusion from the CDS pathway. He argues that such policies are discriminatory and hinder career advancement for women in the armed forces, ultimately undermining the principle of gender equality. The petition highlights that while women may not be directly deployed in combat, restricting their entry to only OTA limits their professional opportunities and sustains systemic disparities within the military structure.
