The Shiv Sena, in its editorial mouthpiece Saamana, has hailed the 'historic' Supreme Court decision judgment granting permanent commission to women officers in the Army while slamming the Centre over its refusal to treat women officers on par with male officers

When it comes to valor and sacrifice one cannot discriminate between man and woman, the Shiv Sena said in Saamana on Wednesday.

Launching a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi government, the Shiv Sena said, "The SC decision has shocked the government which had said that women won't be given command posting as enemy nations could take advantage of it. It had also questioned whether women would be able to do such a hard task. This is the real attitude of the government which talks of progressiveness."

Noting how India won the 1971 war with Indira Gandhi at the helm of affairs, the Shiv Sena said the change of mindset on part of the government is a must."The government needs to change its thought process. Indira Gandhi was a PM and under her leadership, we won the Indo-Pak war of 1971," the Sena said in Saamana.

"In hard words, it could be said that the government has gone mad," the Saamana editorial said.

The Sena added: "One day, women will become chief of the armed forces as well."

LANDMARK VICTORY FOR GENDER EQUALITY

On Monday, the Supreme Court allowed the permanent commission to all women officers in the Army, paving the way for them to get command postings and parity with male counterparts in promotions, ranks, benefits, and pensions.


The SC directed that within three months, all serving Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers will have to be considered for Permanent Commission (PC) irrespective of their tenure in service.

The SC held that denial of permanent commission and command postings was "disturbing" and against the concept of equality.

"To cast aspersion on their abilities on the ground of gender is an affront not only to their dignity as women but to the dignity of the members of the Indian Army - men and women - who serve as equal citizens in a common mission," a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Ajay Rastogi ruled, rejecting the Centre's stand on women's physiological limitations.

"The submissions advanced in the note tendered to this Court are based on sex stereotypes premised on assumptions about socially ascribed roles of gender which discriminate against women," it said.

It held that the option of the grant of PC shall be given to all women presently in service as SSC officers and if women officers with more than 14 years of service do not opt for being considered for grant of PC then they will be entitled to continue in service until they attain 20 years of pensionable service.