ABSTRACT
The 2020 judgement of the Supreme Court allowing the grant of the permanent commission to women officers in the Indian military raised several questions regarding gender roles and responsibilities in the Institution. Questions like ‘How can women serve in the front line? Who will protect them and their honour from the enemy’s fire? Are the male troops mentally ready to have women officers guide them during the war?’ and many more were discussed and debated in prime-time news and articles in the last few years. This chapter analyses these questions while examining the structural-functional issues inherent in the military that privileges masculinity. It examines various legal judgments, including the 2003 Delhi High Court judgement, to understand the changing norms of gender in the Indian military.
