WAR OVER THE WOUNDED

With the defence ministry coming out with stricter rules for awarding disability benefits and frequently challenging armed forces tribunal orders, veterans are up in arms and want relief from the government

- Pradip R. Sagar

Given the hazardous nature of the job where disability and death are always nigh, the ministry of defence (MOD) has had a generous policy for compensating Indian military personnel who put their life on the line. This includes higher pensions for those who are disabled due to service-related injuries or illnesses or during combat in war. The compensatory benefits range from a full 100 per cent more of their normal pensions to lower percentages after medical officers assess the degree of disability. If not satisfied with the award, ex-servicemen have the option of moving the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) for redress. Normally, the AFT has been pro-servicemen in its judgments. However, the MoD has increasingly resorted to legal battles against military pensioners, challenging disability benefits where the AFT delivered a favourable verdict to servicemen. Currently, around 16,000 such cases regarding disability claims are pending in various courts across the country. Most of these relate to personnel of the Indian Army.