The Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Friday, 29 October, said that as National Defence Academy opens itself to women cadets, it is expected that they will be welcomed with same sense of fairplay and professionalism that the Indian Armed Forces are known, reported news agency ANI.
The Army chief was addressing the Passing Out Parade of the 141th course of the National Defence Academy in Pune as the Reviewing Officer. He further added that Army has been at the forefront of gender equality initiatives in the country.
"As we go ahead, we shall be inducting women cadets into NDA [Pune] and I am sure they'll perform as well as the men cadets. It is the first step towards gender equality," he said.
Last month, the Centre told the Supreme Court that it will allow women in the National Defence Academy (NDA).
The decision was taken after the Supreme Court advanced a petition filed by Delhi-based lawyer Kush Kalra. The petition argued that women being denied entry in the NDA is a violation of their fundamental rights.
Kalra told The Quint, "The NDA might come under the Armed Forces, but since the exam is being conducted by the UPSC, this is an absolute violation of fundamental rights of equality. Our laws say that no one should be discriminated on the lines of caste, colour, religion or sex."
The Ministry of Defence said that it will release a notification allowing women candidates to appear for the NDA entrance exam in May 2022, as per NDTV.
The Union Public Service Commission released the admit card for UPSC NDA and Indian Naval Academy II on 22 October.
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