The Supreme Court questioned whether disabled cadets boarded out during training should be classified as ex-servicemen for reservation benefits. The bench highlighted their young age and need for employment, seeking the Centre’s response on extending government and semi-government job reservations.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has asked the Centre whether military cadets who are rendered unfit because of disabilities sustained during training can be classified as ex-servicemen, so they may access reservation benefits for government and semi-government employment.
A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan noted that most of these cadets are under 30 and will require jobs.
The bench observed,
“During the course of submissions, one of the aspects that was discussed was as to whether the boarded-out cadets could also be considered as ex-servicemen or ex-military personnel for the purpose of having the benefit of reservation for such persons in various governmental and semi-government jobs and posts,”
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The court asked the Additional Solicitor General to obtain instructions on whether the definition of ex-military personnel could be expanded to include boarded-out cadets, “since a majority of them are in their 20s, 30s”, it added.
Additional Solicitor General N Venkataraman, representing the Union of India, said the government would provide a detailed response.
The matter arises from a suo motu petition about hardships faced by cadets who were boarded out after suffering injury or disability during training. Last year on August 18, the apex court urged that defence forces should cultivate “braveheart cadets” who are not discouraged by injuries or disabilities incurred during training, and directed the Centre to explore insurance protections for such eventualities.
The court asked the Centre and the defence forces to respond in the suo motu case concerning cadets medically discharged from military academies because of disabilities sustained during training programmes. It suggested the government consider a group-insurance-style cover for cadets undergoing rigorous training to address risks of death or disability.
The bench also requested the Centre to seek instructions on raising the present lump-sum compensation of Rs 40,000 for cadets disabled during training to better meet their medical requirements.
The court was informed that a file recommending Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) coverage for these cadets had been approved by the defence ministry but not put into effect.
Additionally, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to examine a rehabilitation scheme that would place disabled cadets into desk roles or other defence-related work after they complete treatment.
The suo motu matter began on August 12 last year after a media report highlighted the plight of cadets who had trained at premier institutions like the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA). The report said roughly 500 officer cadets had been medically discharged from such institutes since 1985 due to training-related disabilities and now face rising medical expenses while receiving only a minimal ex-gratia monthly payment.