The Supreme Court on Monday quashed the separate reservation category for male officers for recruitment as judge advocate-general (JAG) in the Indian Army, saying such a policy was against the concept of equality enshrined in the Constitution.

“This court is also of the view that the understanding of 2023 policy as implemented by the respondents is not only untenable in law as after allowing women to join Combat Support Arms and Services there can be no reservation category for ‘male’ or ‘men’, but also contrary to facts as no explanation has been offered by the Union of India as to why gender-based vacancy allocation is necessary for a legal branch where the duties, training and performance expectations are identical for all officers regardless of gender,” a bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan said.

The bench added: "The impugned notification to the extent that it provides for only three vacancies for female candidates as against six vacancies for male candidates is against the concept of equality as enshrined in the Constitution...”

JAG is the nodal legal agency for single-point contact with the institutionalised judicial system and advice on all legal matters pertaining to the army.