NEW DELHI: Wing Commander Pooja Thakur, who stole the show at President Obama's reception here last year by becoming the first woman officer to lead the tri-service guard of honour, has appealed to the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) after being denied permanent commission by the Indian Air Force (IAF).
In a plea filed by her lawyer S Pandey in the AFT, Thakur, 37, alleged that the IAF's decision to deny her permanent commission was “biased, discriminatory , arbitrary and unreasonable“. The tribunal, which has the powers of a high court, has sought IAF's reply in four weeks.
IAF sources refuted any talk of gender bias in the case. They said Thakur, a short-service commission officer who was inducted into IAF's administrative branch on June 16, 2001, had “explicitly expressed her unwillingness“ to be considered for permanent commission when given an option in 2012 as per the rules. Wing Commander Pooja Thakur has gone to the Armed Forces Tribunal after being “denied“ full service by the Indian Air Force (IAF).
However, the IAF contested her claim. “Instead of opting for PC, she chose four years of extension till June 16, 2016, to complete the maximum 15 years an SSC officer is allowed.On June 6 this year, just 10 days before she was scheduled to be released from service, she suddenly sought permanent commission from IAF authorities.It's not permissible at that stage,“ an IAF source said.
Though Pooja's counsel S Pandey admitted the case was a “procedural, not a gender issue“, he contended there was “dual policy“ when it came to granting permanent commission to men and women in the IAF. “She is a talented and meritorious officer who should be considered for it,“ he told TOI.
Thakur is currently doing a management course at MDI Gurgaon, which is largely funded by the government, as part of “resettlement policy“ offered to retiring officers. Incidentally, 10 of the 12 women officers in Thakur's batch were granted PC since they had opted for it. “While another officer chose to retire, Thakur had explicitly opted for the four-year extension as an SSC officer. The IAF has a gender-neutral policy , and is even training three women as fighter pilots now,“ said the source.
But more than “combat roles“, women officers in the armed forces have been fighting court battles to get PC in their respective services.
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