New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre and the Indian Air Force not to release from service a woman officer, who was denied permanent commission.
A bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Manmohan referred to the May 22 order of the top court in which similar directions were passed to the Centre and the IAF on a plea of wing commander Niketa Pandey and said same directions would apply in the case of wing commander Kavita Bhati.
Without prejudice to the rights of the parties or equity in favour of the officer, the bench said Wing Commander Kavita Bhati shouldn’t be relieved and allowed to remain in service till the next hearing.
Bhati, a short service commission officer, claimed she was wrongly denied permanent commission.
The top court posted the hearing on August 6 before a regular bench, when matters related to IAF would be taken up for hearing.
The top court on May 22 restrained the Centre and the IAF from releasing Pandey, who was part of Operation Balakot and Operation Sindoor but was denied permanent commission.
Pandey claimed discrimination in granting permanent commission to her.