The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of challenges faced by cadets disabled during NDA/IMA training. Over 500 ex-trainees since 1985 struggle without ex-servicemen benefits, relying only on meagre ex-gratia payments.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has stepped in on its own (suo motu) to look into the serious problems faced by cadets who were forced to leave military training because of disabilities suffered during their course.
These young men, who once trained at the country’s most prestigious defence academies, are now struggling with huge medical expenses and very little support from the system.
A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan will take up the case for hearing on Monday. The matter was registered on August 12 after a media report brought the issue into focus.
The report pointed out how many cadets, who trained at institutes like the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA), had to be medically discharged after suffering injuries or disabilities during their training programmes.
According to the report, nearly 500 officer cadets have been discharged on medical grounds from such institutes since 1985. They were removed from training due to varying degrees of disability.
Today, most of them are staring at endless medical bills while managing with only a small ex-gratia monthly payment, which is far less than what is needed to survive with dignity.
The report highlighted that at the NDA alone, around 20 cadets were medically discharged within a short period of just five years — from 2021 to July 2025.
The plight of these cadets is particularly concerning because the rules do not recognise them as ex-servicemen (ESM). If they had been given ESM status, they would have been eligible for the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), which provides free medical treatment at military hospitals and empanelled private hospitals.
However, since their injuries happened before they were officially commissioned as officers, they remain outside the scope of such benefits.
This has created a situation where these young men, who dedicated themselves to serve the nation, are now left to struggle on their own. In sharp contrast, soldiers who suffer disabilities during service are entitled to ESM status, which gives them full access to healthcare facilities and related benefits.
At present, the only support that officer cadets in this situation receive is a monthly ex-gratia payment that can go up to Rs 40,000 depending on the level of disability.
Unfortunately, as the report stressed, this amount is not enough to even cover basic living costs, let alone lifelong medical expenses.
The Supreme Court’s decision to take suo motu cognisance of this matter gives new hope to hundreds of such cadets who feel abandoned after suffering injuries in the line of duty while still in training.
The case will now examine whether the rules need to be changed so that disabled cadets can be granted ex-servicemen status and proper medical care.
Case Title:
IN RE: CADETS DISABLED IN MILITARY TRAINING STRUGGLE | SMW(C) No. 6/2025
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