Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Centre on September 8 gave the Supreme Court news that it had taken a decision to allow women entry into the National Defence Academy (NDA), so far a male bastion for recruitment into the Armed Forces.
According to the Court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) which said that denying women the opportunity to be part of NDA was violative of their fundamentals rights under Articles 14, 15, 16 and 19 of the Constitution.
After the Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati reportedly informed the Court about the Centre’s decision to induct women into NDA the Court proceeded to appreciate the Centre’s stance on the issue. The decision was taken after consultation with three Service Chiefs.
The Bench asked the government to file an affidavit in this regard by September 22, the next date of hearing. It said the Armed Forces was a respected institution, but it had more to do regarding gender equality. The court admitted that it was not a happy situation for it to constantly nudge the authorities into taking action on bettering gender representation.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, submitted before a bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul that there is good news, as a decision has been taken at the highest level that women will be inducted for NDA, and the chiefs of three Armed Forces have also agreed.
Bhati stated that it will be path-breaking and generational reform. The bench responded that the court is extremely glad to learn that the Armed Forces themselves took decisions to induct females in the NDA. However, the top court emphasized that it is important for it to take a stand on these issues.
