India
Major Navya Shekhawat Becomes First Woman Army Officer to Serve as President's ADC
Major Navya Shekhawat has become the first woman officer from the Indian Army to serve as an Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to President Droupadi Murmu, a role she now holds at official ceremonies at Rashtrapati Bhavan alongside senior officials and military personnel.
Her appointment follows that of Lieutenant Commander Yashasvi Solanki of the Indian Navy, who in 2025 became the first woman overall to serve as a President's ADC. Shekhawat is therefore the second woman to hold the position, and the first from the Army.
The role of ADC, though it may appear ceremonial, carries significant responsibility. The President is traditionally assisted by five ADCs- three from the Army, one from the Navy and one from the Air Force. These officers support the President during official engagements and ceremonies while helping maintain military and ceremonial protocol.
Major Shekhawat's path into the Army began with the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. According to Moneycontrol and The Better India, she qualified in the merit list for the Short Service Commission Women Non-Technical Course and went on to train at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai.
Following her training, she was commissioned into the Army Service Corps (ASC), a branch responsible for logistical functions such as supplies, transportation and other systems essential to keeping military units operational. Shekhawat was commissioned around mid-2021 and was promoted to the rank of Major within a few years. Her appointment as the President's ADC in 2026 came roughly five years after she began her commissioned service.
Her appointment reflects broader changes in the role of women within India's armed forces over recent decades. Women were first inducted into the Indian Army through the Short Service Commission route in 1992, with their career opportunities expanding gradually through subsequent policy reforms and judicial rulings.
A key turning point came in 2020, when the Supreme Court ruled that eligible women officers under the Short Service Commission must be considered for Permanent Commission on the same terms as male officers, a decision that significantly broadened career prospects for women in the Army.