Supreme Court Slams Govt on Disabled Cadets’ Plight: Issues Notice to Army, Navy, Air Force Chiefs
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Supreme Court has taken a tough stand on the plight of cadets who were discharged after becoming disabled during military training. A bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice R Mahadevan issued notices to the Union Government and the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force after taking suo moto cognizance of the matter.
As per existing rules, cadets who become disabled before receiving their commission are not entitled to the facilities and benefits granted to ex-servicemen (ESM).
The court’s intervention comes after a media report revealed that since 1985, nearly 500 officer cadets have been discharged from premier institutions like the National Defence Academy (NDA) and Indian Military Academy (IMA) due to disabilities sustained during training.
During the hearing, Justice Nagarathna asked, “Is there an insurance policy for trainee cadets? We want brave individuals to join the forces, but if they are left without economic support after disability, won’t it weaken their morale?”
The bench further sought clarification from the government on whether such cadets could be considered for alternative roles within the armed forces.
The next hearing has been scheduled for September 4. Currently, such cadets are denied ESM status, which excludes them from schemes like the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) and free treatment in empaneled hospitals, since they were disabled during training and never formally commissioned as officers.