The NDA only accepted male cadets till now. Only boys who have passed 12th or the equivalent of it could apply. Also, the applicants must be between 16 and 19 years of age. The decision to not have female cadets was deeply rooted in misogyny and patriarchy. Since the role of women has always been perceived behind the kitchen or in ‘suitable jobs’. Jobs such as teaching, or corporate jobs were considered for women since they required women to be inside a ‘safe’ atmosphere. The field jobs were considered not suitable for women. As the feminism movement took off and women began complaining of this disparity, more job opportunities opened for women. But still, army was a space tightly restricted to men.
This was challenged by Kush Kalra who filed a petition to allow women cadets in NDA. After hearing the plea, the Supreme Court passed an order to include a women batch in NDA too. This was a landmark decision but before the first batch could be enrolled, the world was hit by the COVID-19 virus. Thus the entrance was postponed but as the virus seems to have subsided and the world is slowly coming back on track, the government has announced the entrance date for the exam. But the number of women in one batch hasn’t been decided by the authorities as they are waiting for the number of applications they will get. It will be exciting to see how many women apply and become a part of history.