Chandigarh, April 18
The Army’s senior-most woman law officer has finally got relief in her fight for grant of permanent commission. The Armed Forces Tribunal today directed the Army to consider her for grant of permanent commission notwithstanding the fact that she did not appear for a departmental examination in the early stages of her career.

The tribunal’s order implies that decks have now been cleared for Major Leena Gaurav of the Judge Advocate General’s Department to be considered for permanent commission. The Army has not been granted leave to appeal the order in the Supreme Court.

In spite of having qualified in the promotion examination in June 2010 for elevation as lieutenant-colonel after 13 years of service, the Army wants her to appear for a departmental examination supposed to be written after about four years of service. Incidentally, the said examination was not required for woman officers while she was in the service bracket at that time and was made mandatory only in 2008.

The promotion examination is tougher than the departmental examination. Her counsel, Col PN Chaturvedi (retd) contended once an officer had qualified a higher examination, there was no logic about having qualified in a lower-level examination. In March 2010, she was granted a waiver from appearing in the entrance examination, he said.

Based on a similar exemption granted to another woman officer, she had taken up her case for exemption for the lower-level examination with the authorities. She was granted exemption by the department in the interest of career progression, but in October 2010, she received a letter from the Adjutant General, which was “evasive” and “undecisive” over the issue of exemption.

She was supposed to have completed her terms of engagement in August 2010, but consequent to the Delhi High Court Judgment granting permanent commission to women officers, the President extended her services till December 1, 2010, or till the orders of the screening board, whichever was earlier.