Bhadravati’s Shreya N. Gowda tops women’s list in NDA and Naval Academy exam

Shreya N. Gowda, from Thimlapura village in Bhadravati taluk of Shivamogga district, is the top-ranked woman in the latest National Defence Academy (NDA) and Naval Academy (NA) Examination results, The Hindu reported on 7 November.

The examination is held twice a year by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Candidates who clear the written test go through a five-day interview and assessment by a Services Selection Board, followed by a medical examination, before the final merit list is drawn up.

The background

Women have been allowed to take the NDA examination only since 2021, after the Supreme Court ruled that keeping them out was discriminatory. The first batch of women cadets joined the academy at Khadakwasla, near Pune, in 2022, and graduated in 2025. Seats for women remain a small share of each course.

Cadets spend three years at the NDA, training together for the Army, Navy and Air Force, and then a year at their own service’s academy before being commissioned as officers.