UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Historic Milestone: First batch of women cadets trained at NDA commissioned into Defence Forces

Q1. Which one of the following Supreme Court cases was the lead petition on which the apex court passed the August 2021 interim order directing the UPSC to permit women candidates to appear for the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination?

• A. Secretary, Ministry of Defence v. Babita Puniya
• B. Union of India v. Lt. Cdr. Annie Nagaraja
• C. Kush Kalra v. Union of India
• D. Nitisha v. Union of India

Q2. The Supreme Court's interim order of 18 August 2021 permitting women candidates to appear for the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination was passed by a Bench headed by which one of the following judges?

• A. Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud
• B. Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul
• C. Justice Ajay Manikrao Khanwilkar
• D. Justice L. Nageswara Rao

Q3. In which year was the National Defence Academy at Khadakwasla, the first tri-service military academy in the world, formally inaugurated?

• A. 1949
• B. 1950
• C. 1955
• D. 1962

Q4. The grant of Permanent Commission to women Short Service Commission officers in all the ten branches of the Indian Army, on par with their male counterparts, was directly mandated by which one of the following Supreme Court judgments?

• A. Lt. Col. Nitisha v. Union of India
• B. Secretary, Ministry of Defence v. Babita Puniya
• C. Kush Kalra v. Union of India
• D. Union of India v. Lt. Cdr. Annie Nagaraja

Q5. Under which provision of the Constitution of India is the Supreme Command of the Defence Forces of the Union vested in the President, in whose capacity she reviews the Passing Out Parade at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun?

• A. Article 53(2)
• B. Article 72
• C. Article 74(1)
• D. Article 75(1)

Q6. With reference to the pre-commission training establishments of the Indian Armed Forces, consider the following pairs of academy and its location: 1. Indian Military Academy — Dehradun, Uttarakhand 2. Air Force Academy — Dundigal, Andhra Pradesh 3. Indian Naval Academy — Ezhimala, Kerala 4. National Defence Academy — Khadakwasla, Maharashtra Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly identified?

1. Indian Military Academy — Dehradun, Uttarakhand
2. Air Force Academy — Dundigal, Andhra Pradesh
3. Indian Naval Academy — Ezhimala, Kerala
4. National Defence Academy — Khadakwasla, Maharashtra

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 1, 3 and 4 only
• C. 2, 3 and 4 only
• D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q7. In the context of the Constitution of India, the expression 'the supreme command of the Defence Forces of the Union shall be vested in the President', as used in Article 53(2), is best understood to mean that:

• A. the President exercises operational command over the Armed Forces independently of the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Defence
• B. the office of supreme command is constitutionally vested in the President, but the exercise of this command is to be regulated by law made by Parliament
• C. the President is empowered to declare war on, and conclude peace with, foreign States without any parliamentary sanction or legislative regulation
• D. the President directly recruits and commissions every officer of the Army, Navy and Air Force without the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers

Q8. Who was the Reviewing Officer of the Passing Out Parade of the 158th Regular Course at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, held on 13 June 2026, at which the first women cadets trained at the NDA were commissioned into the Indian Army?

• A. The President of India
• B. The Vice-President of India
• C. The Raksha Mantri
• D. The Chief of the Army Staff

Q9. At the Passing Out Parade of the 158th Regular Course of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun on 13 June 2026, how many women cadets — being the first batch trained at the National Defence Academy — were commissioned into the Indian Army?

• A. 5
• B. 9
• C. 17
• D. 19

Q10. Following the Supreme Court's judgment in Secretary, Ministry of Defence v. Babita Puniya (2020), the Government of India's sanction letter of 23 July 2020 extended Permanent Commission to Short Service Commissioned women officers of the Indian Army in how many streams in total?

• A. Eight streams
• B. Ten streams
• C. Twelve streams
• D. Fourteen streams

Q11. Women officers of the Indian Army became eligible for Permanent Commission across all ten streams of non-combat-arm Arms & Services, on par with male officers, on the strength of which one of the following Supreme Court judgments?

• A. Kush Kalra v. Union of India (2021)
• B. Secretary, Ministry of Defence v. Babita Puniya (2020)
• C. Union of India v. Lt. Cdr. Annie Nagaraja (2020)
• D. Lt. Col. Nitisha v. Union of India (2021)

Q12. In the context of women officers in the Indian Armed Forces, the term 'Permanent Commission' (PC) most precisely denotes which one of the following?

• A. The right to serve in the Armed Forces until the prescribed retirement age along with pensionary benefits, as distinguished from a fixed-tenure Short Service Commission
• B. Direct induction of women officers into combat arms such as Infantry, Mechanised Infantry and Armoured Corps
• C. A commission granted automatically on completion of fourteen years of Short Service Commission, irrespective of the officer's performance
• D. Permission accorded to women officers to opt for command appointments in lieu of staff appointments while continuing on Short Service terms