In a landmark judgment reinforcing gender equality in the armed forces, the Supreme Court has ruled that women Short Service Commission (SSC) officers are entitled to receive Permanent Commission, invoking its extraordinary powers to ensure complete justice.The court highlighted systemic bias in military promotion practices, noting that the denial of Permanent Commission to women SSC officers reflected discrimination embedded within the existing evaluation framework. It also struck down the cap of 250 women officers per year for Permanent Commission, calling it arbitrary and not sacrosanct.The ruling is being seen as a major step toward gender parity in the military, enabling women officers to pursue long-term careers and hold senior leadership positions previously restricted to men.”Male Short Service Commission Officers (SSCOs) cannot assume that Permanent Commission will remain exclusively male. The denial of Permanent Commission to women SSCOs stemmed from discrimination embedded in the existing evaluation framework,” a Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant said.The Supreme Court further noted that the Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) of women officers were often assessed casually, without proper consideration, and influenced by a “preconceived assumption” that they would never qualify for Permanent Commission.