SC rebukes Centre for non-compliance with order on benefits to disabled officer cadets
Court says Centre failed to genuinely reconsider welfare measures for cadets who become disabled during training
SC rebukes Centre for failing to reconsider benefits for disabled officer cadets.
Court says ordinary recruits get disability pension while officer cadets are denied similar benefits.
Centre gets another opportunity to reconsider the issue; matter posted for November 30.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rebuked the Centre for failing to comply with its directions to reconsider welfare measures for military officer cadets who become unfit due to disabilities suffered during training.
A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna, R Mahadevan and DK Upadhyaya was hearing a suo motu case concerning difficulties faced by officer cadets who were boarded out of military institutes because of injuries or disabilities suffered during training.
The court noted that there had been no genuine reconsideration of the recommendations of the 2015 Sabharwal Committee despite its clear directions issued on 4 August 2026.
The committee was constituted to review service and pension matters, including potential disputes, minimise litigation and strengthen institutional mechanisms for grievance redressal.
“What is this attitude you are showing to the court? You say we disposed it of in 2022 and there ends the matter. What is the attitude on the part of the department?” Justice Nagarathna orally observed.
The court said an affidavit filed by the Centre merely referred to meetings held in 2022 and reproduced earlier decisions rejecting disability pension and ex-servicemen status for officer cadets who were boarded out.
“There is no whisper” that the Sabharwal Committee's recommendations had been reconsidered in light of the court's 4 August direction, it said.
The bench said it was giving the Centre one more opportunity to comply with its earlier direction and place on record the minutes of the meeting held pursuant to it.
During the hearing, the court noted that ordinary recruits who are boarded out receive disability pension and other benefits, while officer cadets are denied similar treatment.
Senior advocate Rekha Palli, who is amicus curiae in the matter, said around 400 officer cadets had been affected over the years.
Justice Nagarathna questioned why ordinary recruits were eligible for disability pension while officer cadets were not and sought details of the financial implications.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said the matter concerned a policy decision and that the Eighth Central Pay Commission would take a call on it.
The court granted the Centre time to reconsider the issue and posted the matter for 30 November.
In August last year, the Supreme Court had said it wanted the defence forces to have “braveheart cadets” who would not be deterred by injuries or disabilities suffered during training. It had directed the Centre to explore the possibility of providing insurance cover to cadets against such eventualities.
The court had also sought the response of the Centre and defence forces on the difficulties faced by cadets medically discharged from military institutes because of disabilities suffered during training.
It had asked the Centre to explore a scheme for rehabilitating disabled candidates in desk jobs or other work related to the defence services after their treatment.
The court had taken suo motu cognisance of a media report on 12 August last year that highlighted the difficulties faced by such cadets.