New Delhi: The Supreme Court has turned down the petition filed by a National Defense Academy (NDA) aspirant seeking 50% reservation of seats in the academy for women. The court said that it is already examining the larger issue and reservations can't happen immediately.
"The larger issue is being examined by us already. The opening for women candidates has to occur over a period of time. The petitioner did not obtain the requisite merit in the women's category though in overall merit she would have more marks than some of the men candidates who would be admitted. However, it is not possible to immediately have 50% of the seats for women and this issue is already being examined by us to see how best the ultimate objective is achieved," read the order of the court.
The court said that any additional petition in the matter would not assist the court in any way. It said that it has sympathy for the petitioner but in the present case, it is not possible to grant any relief. However, the court allowed the listing of the plea for assistance with other similar matters. The bench comprising Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Arvind Kumar was hearing the petition filed by Nidhi Chaudhary.
Back in 2021, the apex court had given a path-breaking judgment by allowing women for admission to the NDA. It was after 66 years of NDA's constitution that women were allowed to appear in the examination. The court had rejected the central government's argument that it was a policy matter and also sought more time by the government to induct women.
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