The Delhi High Court has requested a response from the Centre and the Indian Air Force (IAF) regarding a petition filed by a woman seeking to fill vacant positions in the IAF’s flying branch with qualified women candidates like herself.
A bench led by Justice Rekha Palli issued a notice on the petition, expressing hope that the IAF would objectively assess the issue and consider why women deemed fit for flying duties are not being commissioned when male candidates fail to fill the available vacancies.
The petitioner, aspiring to become an IAF pilot, applied for the role following a May 17, 2023 advertisement. She contended that despite existing vacancies in the flying branch, her application was not being considered as the vacancies allocated for female candidates had already been filled.
The court remarked, “Issue notice. Counsel for the respondents have accepted notice and requested time to seek instructions.” The bench, also comprising Justice Shalinder Kaur, further commented, “We hope that the highest authority within the Indian Air Force will review this matter impartially and consider why eligible women cannot be commissioned when male candidates fail to fill the advertised vacancies.”
The petitioner’s lawyer clarified that the challenge was not against the advertisement, which reserved a small percentage of flying branch positions for women, but argued that the unfilled vacancies could be filled by commissioning qualified women who have passed the required tests.
The next hearing is scheduled for September 27.
