In a blistering takedown of bureaucracy over justice, the Delhi High Court has junked nearly 300 petitions filed by the Ministry of Defence that sought to block disability pensions for military personnel.
The Court wasn’t having it.
These petitions challenged earlier rulings by the Armed Forces Tribunal, which had sided with ex-servicemen — saying they were, in fact, entitled to disability pensions. But instead of honoring those decisions, the Ministry went to court. And the court responded with clarity and conviction.
“It is not an act of generosity,” the bench thundered, “but a rightful and just acknowledgement of the sacrifices endured by them.” Judges Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur made it abundantly clear: this isn’t about charity — it’s about duty. The nation owes its defenders more than salutes and ceremonies.
The Centre’s argument? That these disabilities — things like hypertension and diabetes — weren’t caused or worsened by military service, especially since many soldiers were stationed at “peace” locations. The judges weren’t persuaded. They highlighted the constant pressure, mental strain, and hypervigilance that define a soldier’s life, whether or not bullets are flying overhead.
“Even when not on the front lines,” the Court noted, “soldiers live with the knowledge that danger is only a moment away.” That persistent psychological stress, it said, is no less real in peace zones than in combat areas.
In scathing detail, the Court also called out the Release Medical Board, reminding it that vague denials and routine paperwork won’t cut it. If a soldier is being denied support, it better come with detailed, reasoned medical justification — not boilerplate dismissals.
The message was unmistakable: a soldier’s dignity doesn’t hinge on where he served, but on how he served.
The Court wrapped up with a reminder of its own limits — that it wasn’t there to re-evaluate the Armed Forces Tribunal’s decisions in detail — but added that nothing in these cases warranted interference.
And with that, 300 government challenges were thrown out. Soldiers, at least in this courtroom, were heard — and upheld.
