New Delhi, 20 January, 2022: The Supreme Court has asked the Union government to give an explanation regarding the admission of merely 19 women in the prestigious National Defence Academy (NDA) for 2022. A bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul made it clear to the Additional Solicitor General (ASG), Aishwarya Bhati, that 19 seats are not enough for women candidates and has asked the ASG to give clarity as to why the UPSC has restricted women’s admissions to just 19 for the year 2022.
SC’s Other Demands: Details
The Supreme Court also asked the Centre to place the figures on record about the total number of candidates including women who have appeared in the NDA examination 2021, for entrance tests for Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) and for Rashtriya Military School (RMS).
Note: Last year, in 2021, the centre had fixed the number of 19 seats due to infrastructure issues. This year, in 2022, the court has demanded the centre to give an explanation regarding retaining the same number.
Details of 2021 Petition
- The case was listed on March 6.
- The court gave the Centre three weeks to file its affidavit.
- Petitioner Kush Kalra stated that they had filed an additional affidavit mentioning that on 14 November 2021, the NDA exam was held and 8,009 candidates qualified for the Service Selection Board test and also the medical test round.
- Out of 8009 candidates, 1,002 candidates were women and 7,007 men.
- The petitioner also noted that the Navy would take in 42 candidates including three women, while the IAF would admit 120 candidates, of which six would be women. Thus, the total number of women to be inducted into the NDA in June 2022 would be 19.
About NDA Exam
- NDA is a national-level defence entrance exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) twice a year.
- The exam is conducted to recruit candidates for the Army, Navy, and Air Force wings of the Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC) and the National Defence Academy (NDA).
