The Supreme Court has been informed that women may not be suitable for command posts in the Army. This is because the male troops are not yet prepared to accept women, the Centre told the Supreme Court. The dangers of women being taken prisoner of war was also cited by the Centre. The Centre also said that the armed forces require sacrifices and commitment beyond the call of duty by the entire family of service personnel involving separation and frequent transfers, affecting the education of children and career prospects of the spouse. It is a challenge for women to meet these hazards of service owing to prolonged absence during pregnancy, motherhood and domestic obligations towards their children and families especially when both husband and wife happen to be service officers the centre also contended in the Supreme Court. Opposing the plea, the lawyers representing the women officers told the court that many of them displayed exceptional bravery in adverse situations and command posts should not be based on gender. On this edition of the Big Picture we will analyse if women should be in combat commanding roles.

Guests
Captain (Retd.) Anubha Rathaur, Defence Expert,
Aishwarya Bhati, Advocate, Supreme Court,
Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Dhruv C Katoch, Director India Foundation,

Anchor Frank Rausan Pereira