Draw up litigation policy for forces or face fines, govt told

The top court expressed concern about the message such litigation sent to armed forces personnel.

- Utkarsh Anand

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday came down heavily on the Union government for its repeated practice of taking retired armed forces personnel and their families to court over disputes related to pensions and disability benefits.

Expressing deep concern over the impact of such litigation on the morale of the armed forces, the court directed the Centre to consider framing a litigation policy to prevent unnecessary legal battles against veterans.

A bench of justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan also warned that if the government failed to take corrective action, the court would start imposing fines on frivolous appeals.

The court's anguish came while hearing an appeal filed by the Union of India against an Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) order in 2021 granting disability pension to a retired radio fitter.

Questioning the Centre's approach, the bench stressed that a pragmatic view was necessary, especially when personnel had served for 15 to 20 years before developing disabilities.