A woman trainee officer cadet (pilot) was withdrawn from the Indian Naval Academy in Ezhimala in Kerala after being charged with physical intimacy with a fellow cadet. After being removed from the naval academy, the woman approached the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT), alleging discriminatory treatment since the male cadet has been handed a lighter punishment.

According to a report in Indian Express, the woman alleged that there are past instances of lesser punishment being awarded for a similar offence. As per the AFT proceedings, a show-cause notice (SCN) was issued to the woman cadet in May 2020 on why she should not be withdrawn from training and discharged from naval service, "The final approval/decision on the same is pending at the level of the first respondent (Government of India/MoD)," the note read.