The plea further stated that in 2023, a similar gender-based reservation for men in the Army Dental Corps was strongly criticised by the Supreme Court in the case of Gopika Nair Vs Union of India.
In that case, the matter was eventually resolved after the Union of India assured that recruitment would be gender-neutral going forward, the petitioner recounted.
Similarly, it was highlighted that the top court has frowned upon discrimination against women in the military when women were not considered for permanent commission on par with male officers, in the Babita Puniya case and in the case of Lt Col Nitisha va Union of India.
Despite this, the Central government is taking regressive steps and turning the clock back, the petitioner has submitted.
“In the instant case, the discrimination is totally direct rather than indirect and not only unconstitutional but it discloses how, rather than moving with times, despite such decisions, the Respondents have regressively taken the clock back,” the plea stated.
Source: Barandbench
