DEFENCE Minister Manohar Parrikar has given a categorical assurance to a group of women officers of the Navy, who met him on September 28 in New Delhi, along with CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat, that he fully supports the September 4 High Court judgement for their immediate reinstatement as permanent commission officers. He told the delegation that he would also take appropriate measures to see that there was no appeal against the judgement by the Navy. Welcoming the minister’s statement, Karat said the move when implemented would go a long way in addressing the long-standing grievances of women in the services regarding their recruitment. The women officers who met Parrikar were Cdr. Puja Chabra, Cdr. Sumita Balooni, Cdr. Saroj Kumari and Cdr. Prasanna E. In a memorandum submitted to the defence minister, Karat said, “Women in the defence services in non-combat jobs were offered only short service commissions for 14 years unlike male counterparts in non-combat jobs who were offered permanent commissions as an option. Many women officers had appealed in the courts against this discrimination. It was also a subject matter of discussion in Parliament when I had raised it in 2007. Subsequently, the government had given an assurance in Parliament. However it was implemented only with partial effect and the discriminatory approach between men and women in the defence services continued.” With a positive outcome in the cases concerning similar petitions by the high court, women officers in the Army and the Air Force who had retired were reinstated. The Air Force had welcomed the judgement in 2010 and fully implemented it. The Army while reinstating the women petitioners had unfortunately appealed against it in the Supreme Court where the matter is pending. It is reported that the navy is also going to appeal against the judgement. In any case, the petitioners have not received any communication from the Navy following the September 4 judgement to rejoin the force. In its order, the Delhi High Court directed the Navy to reinstate the eight women petitioners on their respective posts within six weeks. “It is indeed extremely unfortunate that at a time when the government is declaring its commitment to women’s empowerment, the defence services, with the exception of the Air Force should take such a retrograde approach to its women officers, all of them in non-combat posts. This is to appeal to you to ensure that the High Court judgement for reinstatement of the petitioners is implemented in full by the Navy and that no appeal is made against the judgement. I also request you to persuade the Army to withdraw its appeal in the Supreme Court where it has taken a position against gender justice,” Karat said.