SC directs IAF not to release officer part of Operation Sindoor from service
Live Events
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre and the Indian Air Force not to release from service a woman officer, who was part of Operation Balakot and Operation Sindoor but was denied permanent commission. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh sought responses from the Centre and the IAF on the plea of Wing Commander Nikita Pandey who claimed discrimination for being denied permanent commission.The bench called IAF a professional force and said the uncertainty on service was not good for such officers."Our Air Force is one of the best organisations in the world. Officers are very commendable. Quality of coordination they have exhibited, I think it's unparalleled. Therefore, we always salute them. They are a big asset for the nation. They are the nation, in a way. Because of them, we are able to sleep at night," Justice Kant said.The bench noted a "tough life" for Short Service Commission (SSC) officers began following their recruitment, which called for some incentive after 10 or 15 years to grant them permanent commission."That sense of uncertainty may not be good for the Armed Forces. It's a layman's suggestion, because we are not experts. On minimum benchmarks, there can't be a compromise," Justice Kant said.Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, appearing for the officer, said her client was an expert fighter controller, who participated as an expert in the Integrated Air Command and Control Systems (IACCS), which were deployed in Operation Sindoor and Operation Balakot.The senior counsel submitted that the officer had served over 13.5 years in service but was impacted by a 2019 policy that denied her permanent commission and forced her to conclude her service after a month.The officer ranked second in the merit list of expert air fighter controllers in the country, Guruswamy added.The bench asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre and the IAF, the reason for not granting the officer permanent commission.Bhati revealed she belonged to an armed forces background herself, therefore, being receptive of the predicament of such officers but argued that the petitioner was found unfit by the selection board.She said the officer directly moved the apex court without filing any representation and informed the bench that a second selection board would be considering her case.The bench ordered Pandey not to be released from service till further orders and posted the hearing on August 6.The top court, however, said no equity would be created in her favour and left open all the contentions in the case.Bhati had no objections in the officers continuing in service as most of the officers in the armed forces were brilliant officers but ultimate question related to the comparative merit and the need for keeping the forces young.She said a "steep pyramidal structure" was followed by IAF which requires that certain officers go out of the service after serving 14 years and new officers come in their place.Justice Kant told Bhati that armed forces should have the capacity to accommodate all SSC officers in the permanent commission, highlighting women officers performed exceedingly well."Due to the lack of permanent commission for women officers after a long duration, Short Service Commission recruitment are taking place. That is the reason that inter se competition arises after 10, 12 and 15 years. You can have a policy of taking that many SCC officers, who can be accommodated in the Permanent Commission, if they are found suitable. If you have 100 SCC officers, you should have the capacity to take 100 of them to the permanent commission," the judge said.Bhati replied that normally out of 100 officers considered for the permanent commission, almost 90-95 per cent officers were found fit but some lost out only on account of comparative merit."There are a limited number of posts, it's a very steep pyramid structure," she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
37 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
PM to meet delegations after world tour next week
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet the seven multi-party delegations, which are currently touring key international capitals to underscore India's zero-tolerance for terrorism and New Delhi's 'new normal' against the menace, sometime next week, people aware of developments said on Monday. According to the people cited above, the date for Modi's meeting is yet to be finalised but it might happen on June 9 or 10. Before the PM meets all seven delegations, they will debrief external affairs minister S Jaishankar in a process starting from Tuesday with the team led by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Baijayant 'Jay' Panda, the people added. Panda's delegation, which left Delhi on May 24, is set to be the first to return home after visiting Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Algeria. The meeting with Jaishankar is scheduled at 2.30pm on Tuesday. The delegation comprises BJP leaders Nishikant Dubey, Phangnon Konyak, Rekha Sharma, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi, nominated Rajya Sabha member Satnam Singh Sandhu, former minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, and former foreign secretary Harsh Shringla. The PM's decision to meet all the delegations is a significant step as top-ranking functionaries suggested that the main idea to send the teams across the globe after Operation Sindoor came from the PM. It will be the first interaction between the PM and the delegations, which began leaving Delhi on May 21. The multi-party delegations—comprising 59 lawmakers, in addition to former diplomats — have already covered a bulk of their itinerary of 33 countries, including the European Union. The leaders, briefed by foreign secretary Vikram Misri before leaving Delhi, have focused on exposing Pakistan's duplicity on combating terror by showing pictures of the country's army general attending funeral of terrorists killed during Operation Sindoor and the discovery of 9/11 accused Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad, and underlined how repeated peace initiatives by New Delhi met with disappointment and more attacks, people familiar with the matter said. All seven delegations – headed by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor; Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and Panda; Janata Dal (United) leader Sanjay Jha, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule, and Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Shinde – have met parliamentarians, ministers, government officials and policy makers to exchange views on furthering cooperation on counterterrorism and combating radicalism, especially after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 civilians dead. The Indian delegations spoke about major terror attacks sponsored by Pakistan, how Islamabad refused to act even after New Delhi provided clinching evidence of photos, DNA samples and call records in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and pointed out that all major international terror attacks including the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks and the 2005 London bombing had direct or indirect links to Pakistan, said the people cited above. Two of the delegations – one to Russia and another to Japan – concluded their visits on Saturday with 'constructive meetings', said the people cited above. Operation Sindoor was India's direct military response to the April 22 terror strike at Pahalgam in Kashmir that killed 26 civilians in what was the worst attack on civilians since the 26/11 Mumbai strikes. India launched the operation in the early hours of May 7, bombing nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The pre-dawn strikes --- which killed at least 100 terrorists --- sparked a series of attacks and counter attacks across the western border, involving fighter jets, missiles, armed drones, and fierce artillery and rocket duels. In one such counterattack on the night of May 9-10, the air force struck targets at 13 Pakistani air bases and military installations. After four days of fighting, military hostilities were stopped on May 10 as the two nations reached an understanding. The move to send political delegations abroad started on May 17, roughly a week after India and Pakistan agreed to an understanding to cease hostilities. In Algiers, Panda said that India's appeal to place Pakistan back on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list was gaining significant resonance globally, emphasising the role of illicit financing in fuelling terrorism. 'Pakistan is not interested in improving itself or helping its people... They have diverted the money for terrorism and its army and looted it... Terrorism is fuelled by two things. One is ideology and the other is illicit finance... Ideology-wise, these Islamic countries have taken a strong stand... They do not permit any kind of fundamentalism from their soil... Financing part is the other aspect,' Panda said. In Paris, former Union minister M J Akbar asserted India's clear and thought-through 'no first use' doctrine on nuclear weapons and said, 'Pakistan is a military state, it is no longer a civilian state. And a military state has a vested interest in conflict because conflict justifies its presence… Now, it sometimes thinks it can provide a nuclear shelter to terrorists. The Prime Minister (Modi) has made it very clear that there can be no nuclear blackmail.' In Tokyo, Trinamool Congress lawmaker Abhishek Banerjee said, 'If terrorism is a rabid dog, Pakistan is a vile handler…We are here to share the message and the truth that India refuses to bow down. We will not kneel to fear. I belong to a political party that is in the Opposition. It is in the public domain that I have said that Pakistan needs to be taught a lesson in the language they understand,' he said.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Pakistan's Punjab speaker backs Pahalgam attacker at rally
NEW DELHI: The line, ever so thin, between the Pakistani state and terrorists, is fast disappearing post-Operation Sindoor. Speaker of Pakistan's Punjab assembly, Malik Ahmed Khan, has now come out in defence of Lashkar-e-Taiba deputy chief Saifullah Kasuri, by attending a rally alongside the US-designated terrorist, and Talha Saeed, son of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed . Asked by reporters, the speaker of the assembly of Pakistan's biggest province brazened it out by saying Kasuri, one of the masterminds of the Pahalgam terror attack , should not be seen as an accused without an investigation. He also cited a personal connection to Kasur, the town where the May 28 rally was organised. The presence of Talha alongside Kasuri came to light when foreign policy circles were already discussing Kasuri and his jihadi comrades gloating over what they called their success in avenging the partition of Pakistan after its loss to India in the 1971 war. LeT ultras boast about revenge for 1971, mock 'Modi's missiles & bullets' Video footage from the rally showed Lashkar-e-Taiba deputy chief Saifullah Kasuri arriving with a posse of guards carrying American M4 carbines and being serenaded as the "conqueror" of India. Flower petals were showered on him. While addressing the gathering, the Lashkar terrorists boasted about their involvement in protests against former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, which forced her to flee and take shelter in India. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Own A Barrel of Whisky With Average Annual Returns of 10.15%* Whisky Investors Download Undo Kasuri and Muzammil Hashmi, both designated as terrorists by the US, claimed credit for their role in the coup during rallies organised last week. "We emerged victorious against you in Bangladesh last year," they said. Expectedly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been the target of hateful vitriol that marks proceedings of jihadi congregations. "Tum hamein apni goli se darate ho, Modi hum tujhe paigham dete hain, humare bachche teri missailon se nahi dare, hum teri goli se kya darenge (Modi, you scare us with your bullets, our children were not scared of your missiles, you think we are worried about your bullets)," Hashmi said during a rally by Pakistan Markazi Muslim League, the political front of Lashkar-e-Taiba, in Gujranwala on May 28. At another rally the same week, Kasuri drew parallels between the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war and recent events, stating that his group had avenged the past defeat. "I was four years old when Pakistan was dismembered in 1971. The then Indian PM Indira Gandhi had declared that she had drowned the two-nation theory in the khaleej (Bay of Bengal). On May 10, we took the revenge of 1971," Kasuri said while addressing his supporters in Rahim Yar Khan. He also referenced the brutal Indian air strikes on Muridke, which resulted in the death of fellow terrorist Mudassar, and expressed anguish over being barred from attending the funeral. "I was not allowed to attend his funeral. On the day of his funeral, I cried a lot," Kasuri said.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
CM sets $3 trillion economy target for T by 2047 when India turns 100
1 2 Hyderabad: On the occasion of the 11th Telangana Formation Day on Monday, chief minister A Revanth Reddy set a new target of making the state a $3 trillion economy by 2047 and increasing its contribution to the GDP from 5% to 10%. Speaking at the Formation Day celebrations at Parade Grounds, the CM presented the progress report of the 16-month-old Congress govt and sought the cooperation of all political parties, bureaucracy, industrialists and all sections in the state to make Telangana number one in the country. He said the state govt was working in mission mode to ensure that Telangana plays a pivotal role in developing India into a $30 trillion economy by 2047 when the country would celebrate its Independence centenary. "As part of it, the Telangana Rising 2047 action plan has been prepared to turn the state into a $1 trillion economy in the next 10 years and $3 trillion by 2047. The govt has plans to not only develop Telangana as the number one state in the country but also make it capable of competing with the world," the CM said. While sharing several achievements of the state govt such as Rs 20,600 crore crop loan waiver for farmers, nearly 60,000 govt and one lakh private jobs for the unemployed and other welfare schemes, the CM referred to the apolitical stand of the Congress govt in Telangana for the country by extending full support to the Centre and the armed forces during Operation Sindoor. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo The CM said the govt was moving fast to promote the youngest state as the best destination for global investments. The state govt has already inked agreements with companies for more than Rs 3 lakh crore investments. IT giants such as Google, Microsoft, Cognizant, and HCL were already expanding their operations in Hyderabad, he said, adding that this was the first step under 'Telangana Rising' project. "Plans are in the pipeline to develop Hyderabad on a par with other developed metros in the world. A Future City is also being developed in 30,000 acres with state-of-the-art facilities which will be a destination for investments from around the world. AI City, Pharma City, Sports City, Life Sciences and Health City are also being developed," he said. Pointing to the bills on 42% quota for backward classes and SC categorisation, the CM said Congress govt rectified the wrongdoings of the previous govt (BRS) which had failed to fulfil the aspirations of people despite being in power since state formation in 2014. Earlier, the CM paid tributes to Telangana martyrs at Gun Park near the assembly before going to Parade Grounds in Secunderabad where he hoisted the national flag and inspected the parade. The mayor of Kitakyushu City in Japan, Kazuhisa Takeuchi, attended the Telangana Formation Day celebrations as a special guest. CM honours poets, writers, cops CM A Revanth Reddy presented a cash reward of Rs 1 crore each to nine eminent persons including folk singers, writers, artists and poets who played a crucial role in the statehood agitation. They include Ande Sri, Aekka Yadagiri Rao, Suddala Ashok Teja, Jayaraju, Pasham Yadagiri, Goreti Venkanna, and posthumously to balladeer Gaddar, Bandi Yadagiri and Guda Anjaiah. The awards of Gaddar and Anjaiah were collected by their families, while there was no one present from Yadagiri's family. Venkanna's award was received by his daughter as he is on a foreign tour. The prestigious Kaloji Sahitya Puraskaram was presented to Nalimela Bhaskar. As many as 19 police officers were presented with Medals for Gallantry and 11 other officers with Medal for Meritorious Service by the CM.
