Digital Desk: The Supreme Court of India sought a response from the Centre regarding the admission of girls in the National Defence Academy (NDA).
Lately, due to the intervention of the Supreme Court of India, the Centre has opened doors for NDA admission for girls. In an order issued in September 2021, the SC had held that not admitting girls to the NDA is biased based on gender.
The court stated that girls candidates could apply for the post and sit for the entrance examination on November 14.
But, on Wednesday, on behalf of the petitioner, the SC was informed that only 19 girls would be permissible to get admission.
On this, petitioner's counsel Chinmoy Pradeep Sharma stated, "In the examination going to be held this year, only 19 seats are being said to be kept for girls. This cannot be said in accordance with the order of the Supreme Court."
Regarding this, a bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MM Sundaresh, hearing the case, sought a reply from the central government.
Last year Centre stated that this number had been chosen due to infrastructure problems (the intake of women will be less). Once again, for the year 2022, the same numbers have been chosen by the Centre for girls' seats in the NDA entrance examination.
The applicants who will give the NDA exam in 2022 will be admitted in 2023. The Centre's counsel contended before the bench that the intake of women nominees in NDA is based on the requirement of the security forces.
The bench further pressed clarification from the Centre, stating that the same number of girls candidates cannot be fixed every year. The court asked for an explanation of this decision.
On the other hand, the Centre consented to file a precise affidavit, describing why it has taken this frame, within three weeks.
