Sai Jadhav became the first woman officer to graduate from the Indian Military Academy (IMA)

Key facts

• At 23, Lieutenant Sai Jadhav became the first woman officer to pass out of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun.
• She was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Territorial Army, becoming the first woman officer from the IMA to join the branch.
• Jadhav became the fourth generation of her family to serve in the military, following her great-grandfather, grandfather, and father, Sandeep Jadhav.
• She completed six months of intensive training at the IMA, which has commissioned more than 67,000 officers since its inception in 1932.
• Her schooling began in the Belgaum district of Karnataka and continued across several states.
• She entered the IMA after receiving special permission and clearing a national-level exam followed by the Service Selection Board.
• Her parents pinned the rank stars on her shoulders during the passing out parade.
• Currently, eight women officer cadets were undergoing training in the Indian Army as part of the first batch selected through the National Defence Academy 2022 intake.