When a woman officer in the Indian Army fought for her right to stay employed despite being pregnant

The High Court of Punjab and Haryana had the occasion to deal with the issue of hidden bias against women in 2016 in the case of Neetu Bala v Union of India presided over by Justice Harinder Singh Sidhu. The matter concerned challenging the denial of employment by the Army Medical Corps (AMC) to a woman solely on account of her pregnancy. The issue arose when the Ministry of Defence issued an advertisement inviting either male or female applicants for grant of Short Service Commission (SSC) in the AMC. The eligibility conditions required the applicant to have passed the final year MBBS examination and be under the age of forty years as on 31 December 2013. There was no condition stipulating that the candidate had to be unmarried.

The petitioner, who fulfilled the eligibility conditions being an MBBS, MD was successful in the interview held on 10 June 2013 and was intimated that she was selected for grant of SSC in the rank of captain. Although she was initially declared unfit in the medical examination on 11 June 2013, she was subsequently declared medically fit by the Appeal Medical Board on 16 July 2013 and was issued an appointment letter dated 16…

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