UPSC Issues Fresh Notification Allowing “Unmarried Women Only” for NDA and NA Examinations

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Sept 24: In keeping with the Supreme Court’s orders, the government has agreed to allow women to appear for the November entrance examinations for the National Defence Academy and the Naval Academy, but the opening has been granted only for unmarried women. No fees would be charged from the women applicants for the November examinations.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) issued a notification on Friday allowing unmarried women to apply for the National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination, an official statement said. The move followed a Supreme Court directive on the issue earlier this week which rejected the government’s request to keep the issue of allowing women for openings in the armed forces till the next year and insisted that the women applicants should be permitted to appear in the entrance examinations scheduled on November 14.

In compliance with the apex court’s interim direction, the UPSC has decided to open the application on upsconline.nic.in for this exam to enable “unmarried women candidates only” who are otherwise eligible in terms of nationality, age, educational qualification etc., the statement said.

“In compliance with the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India’s interim direction permitting the women candidates to take part in the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (II)…the Union Public Service Commission has decided to open the online portal of application on its website (upsconline.nic.in) for this Examination to enable the unmarried women candidates ONLY (to take it)…,” the UPSC statement said.

The government is still undecided about fixing the physical standards for the women candidates and the notification said this along with the number of vacancies for women candidates in the defence forces would be notified after it is received from the Ministry of Defence, the notification said.

The application window will remain open for women candidates from September 24 to October 8 (till 6 p.m.), said the statement issued by the UPSC. No application will be accepted beyond the prescribed last date/time, i.e., 08.10.2021(till 6 p.m.) or through any mode other than the aforesaid online mode, it said.

“Women candidates are not required to pay fee for their application for this examination,” the statement said. The examination is scheduled to be held on November 14.

The admission of the women candidates in the national defence academy and naval academy examination (II), 2021, will remain provisional and subject to the final outcome of a writ petition pending in the court or such other order(s) as may be passed by the Supreme Court and action by the government of India in the matter, the statement said.

In a major step towards gender equality, the apex court had on August 18 allowed eligible women to take the examination for admission to national defence academy. A Bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy passed the interim order on a plea filed by a person named Kush Kalra who sought a direction to the authorities concerned to allow eligible female candidates to appear in the ‘national defence academy and naval academy examination’ and train at the NDA.

The centre through the attorney general had requested the court on Wednesday to keep the issue pending so that women can take the entrance exam in April-May next year to join the NDA in January 2023. The Centre sought the exemption for this year’s admission. It was to be done after consultation with the ministry of defence to indicate tentative requirements for the women candidates if the standards cannot be finalised by the time of issuance of the notification. The Centre argued the women candidates will have to skip the exam in view of the sweeping changes that have to be brought about before women cadets are inducted and start their training at the joint defence service training institute.

But the apex court was not impressed and refused to vacate the order of August 18 in which it had directed the government to permit women candidates from the current year. It asked the government to issue necessary instructions to the UPSC to accommodate the women aspirants from this year’s examinations itself.

The court on Wednesday stressed that it “cannot belie the aspirations of young girls” while directing the government to allow women to sit for the exam in November.

On August 18, the top court directed women can also sit for the exam saying the policy that restricts their entry is based on “gender discrimination.” Following this interim directive, the government on September 8 said it has taken an in-principle decision to open doors of NDA to women cadets. But it wanted an exemption for this year’s admission.

In an affidavit submitted on September 20, the government said it proposes to have the necessary mechanism in place by May 2022 — the time by which UPSC is required to publish the first notification of the entrance examination for NDA next year. The affidavit added there were various amenities pertaining to accommodation, training capacity that needed to be worked out.

But the court insisted that these issues could be sorted out after observing the response from the women for admissions.