India's Supreme Court allows women to sit military academy entrance exam

The court first ruled in August that women would be allowed to sit entrance exams for the national defence academy NDA, a highly selective institution that trains cadets for all three branches of military - the army, navy and air force.

In response, the government requested the deadline be extended by another year, arguing it needed more time to prepare for female students. For instance, it needed to create new health fitness criteria for female candidates, build additional dormitories and adapt its intense physical courses for women, the government's affidavit said.

On Wednesday, the court upheld its decision, ruling that some women would be allowed to sit the exam in November - clearing the way for male students to start attending the academy in 2022.

The court said: 'We have given hope to the girls and we cannot take that away. Just because you file the affidavit that there are difficulties, we cannot take that hope away, said Chinmoy Pradip Sharma, one of the senior lawyers representing the petitioner.

The petition was filed in 2020 by Kush Kalra, a Delhi-based lawyer, but hearings only started this year. Previously, women were allowed to serve as officers and could attend other military schools - they have long been blocked from NDA - but not recognized as such. The prestigious academy has produced many of the top military leaders across the country, including all current chiefs of staff in the Army, Navy and Air Force. Women will still be largely excluded from combat - but with their inclusion in the NDA, they can aspire to higher positions like commanders, rather than be delegated to administrative work as is often the case. And their access to elite training at the academy could influence future arguments in favor of allowing females into combat. Among the Indian military elite - just 6.5% of the navy, 1.08% of the air force and 0.56% of army - do women make up the minority, according to CNN affiliate CNN-News 18. In 2020 to put that in perspective, women made up 23% of the cadets at the United States Military Academy, also known as West Point, which began allowing women students in 1976. And until recently, Indian female officers could only be inducted into the Army through short service commissions - meaning they can serve for 10 to 14 years and must do so afterward. The change has come in recent years at a rapid speed, with the courts moving a number of obstacles and pushing more women into the field. In 2016, India's Navy welcomed first female pilots in 2016 and in 2019 the Air Force enlisted women pilots. The Indian Navy welcomes its first female pilot as an important milestone for the armed forces Last year, the Supreme Court handed down a landmark ruling ordering the government to grant women command and commission positions to permanent officers in the armed forces. That means male officers will be allowed to serve past 14 years - making them eligible for the same promotions, benefits and pensions as female counterparts. The changes are significant in a country where the inequality and discrimination remains deeply embedded. Women face often restrictive cultural norms and comprised just over 20% of the total labor force in 2019, compared to 46% in the US. Wednesday's decision might not usher in a new era of co-ed military empowerment and it remains to be seen how the academy will implement female measures. But the court's ruling was hugely inclusive, suggesting a gradual shift to a more inclusive India. The ruling sent the message that even if it is a small number of women applying, you should make the effort, according to Sharma, the lawyer, today at the court. It is a victory for women, he added. In 2021, women are considered as good as men.