Indian govt to allow girls to be inducted in RIMC, RMS

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The government of India has told the Supreme Court that girls will get inducted not only in the National Defence Academy but also in the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) and the five Rashtriya Military Schools (RMS) in the country.

Like the NDA, RIMC and RMS have also been traditionally all-boys establishments that act as feeder institutions for the armed forces.

Submitting its affidavit on Wednesday, the Centre conveyed its agreement to induct girls in RIMC and RMS with effect from the academic session 2022-23 after bringing about necessary infrastructural and logistical changes.

For RIMC in Dehradun, the affidavit pointed out that those in the age group 11.5 to 13 years join the institution after clearing an All-India competitive exam, which is held bi-annually for 25 seats each. The government said it will start inducting 5 girls every six months starting January 2023 for which the girls will be allowed to take the entrance exam in June 2022.

“It will be a 20% increase in strength every year. This increase can be affected with some infrastructure modification and additional staff to support the girl cadets,” said the affidavit, calling it the first phase of their plan.

In the second phase, the government said, the capacity of RIMC will be increased to a total of 350, which will include 100 girls. “For this, it is submitted that girls will be allowed to take the entrance examination scheduled in June 2027 for entry into RIMC for the term starting in January 2028… This increase will need major infrastructure expansion and additional staff to support the increased strength,” said the affidavit.

Apart from appropriate medical standards and training curriculum for the girl cadets, the government said, several other modifications and restructuring will have to be done to accommodate and facilitate the living of girls with respect to privacy, safety and security. The affidavit added that a board of officers is examining all the pertinent issues to ensure that a girl-friendly infrastructure and support staff is approved by the government and the work commences so that girls feel welcome into the portals of RIMC. RIMC was inaugurated in March 1922 by Prince Edward VIII, the Prince of Wales.

On RMS, which are located at Chail (Himachal Pradesh), Ajmer (Rajasthan), Belgaum (Karnataka), Bengaluru (Karnataka) and Dholpur (Rajasthan), the government pointed out that these schools act as a feeder institution for NDA and to provide quality education and training from Class 6 to 12 for the wards of Indian soldiers. The admission test is conducted in December every year for approximately 350 seats.

The government proposed to start by reserving 10% of total vacancies in each school for girl candidates for entry into class 6, in accordance with various reservations applicable in RMS, with effect from academic session 2022-23.

In the second phase, the government said it will reserve 10% of total vacancies in each school for the girl candidates for entry into class 6 and class 9 with effect from administration 2023-24. RMSs have been operating since 1950s.

A bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M M Sundresh will examine the government’s affidavit on Thursday. On September 22, the bench had asked the government to come clear on the issue of induction of girls in RIMC and RMS as it heard a petition by advocate Kailsah Udhavrao More, who raised the issue of gender discrimination and bias in not allowing girl cadets in these premier institutions.

More’s petition was heard along with the plea on entry of women in NDA, in which the bench had directed that women shall be allowed to sit for the upcoming NDA entrance exam on November 14 after rejecting the government’s request to delay the first-ever examination for them.

While seeking the exemption for this year’s admission, the government had earlier said that women can sit for the NDA entrance exam in April-May next year and join the academy in January 2023. But the court was emphatic that there cannot be a request from the authorities to make the aspiring women skip the upcoming exam in November.

“We will not put this train in reverse gear… we will not set the clock back. A beginning has to be made now. Having given some hope to women that they can take exams in November, we don’t want to belie that hope by saying they will have to wait for one more year and then something may happen. Exam cannot be postponed,” the bench had said.

Under the current eligibility criteria, only male candidates who have cleared Class 12 level or its equivalent, and are in the age group of 16-and-a-half and 19 are eligible to apply. Those who clear the NDA exam are called for interview by the Service Selection Board (SSB), and following a medical exam, candidates are recruited in the army, navy, and air force wings of NDA, and for the INA course for pre-commission training. NDA was commissioned in 1955. (Hindustan Times)