NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday criticised the Centre for showing “scant attitude” towards its direction to reconsider benefits for officer cadets who become disabled during military training.
A Bench of Justices B V Nagarathna, R Mahadevan and D K Upadhyaya was hearing a suo motu case concerning the lack of status, pension and rehabilitation support for such cadets.
The court recorded non-compliance, ordered reconsideration, and sought minutes. It warned that non-compliance could invite adverse orders, including mandamus. The amicus was asked to identify benefits available to boarded-out recruit soldiers for comparison.
The court said the Centre’s affidavit showed no reconsideration of the 2015 Sabharwal Committee recommendations. Instead, it referred to meetings in 2022 and repeated decisions rejecting disability pension and ex-servicemen (ESM) status for boarded-out cadets. The Bench noted that ordinary recruits receive disability pension and benefits, while officer cadets, numbering 400, or 40 annually, are denied benefits.
