SC Pulls Up Centre for Delaying Benefits to Officer Cadets Boarded Out Due to Disability

The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday expressed strong displeasure over the delay by the central government in deciding benefits for officer cadets who were discharged from military training due to disabilities suffered during service. The court warned that it may summon senior officials, including the Secretaries of the Defence and Finance ministries, if progress is not made soon on framing a rehabilitation scheme for such cadets.

A bench comprising Justice B V Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan noted that the Centre had already been given six weeks on January 20 to take a decision but had not shown meaningful progress. The court said it was difficult to understand why the ministries had failed to respond despite the matter being taken up suo motu by the court. The bench granted the government an additional two weeks to act and scheduled the next hearing for March 24.

The issue relates to officer cadets who are “boarded out” of training at military academies after suffering disabilities during training. The court had earlier taken up the matter on its own following media reports highlighting the difficulties faced by such cadets after discharge. Senior advocate Rekha Palli was appointed as amicus curiae and proposed several measures, including extending the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme to these cadets, providing ex gratia benefits equivalent to the rank of Lieutenant or Flying Officer, disability pensions, one-time compensation, insurance coverage, and reservation in higher education.

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The Supreme Court had earlier directed the headquarters of the Army, Navy and Air Force to examine these recommendations and develop a rehabilitation scheme for the affected cadets. During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the court that the armed forces were largely supportive of the proposals but decisions from the Defence and Finance ministries were still pending. The bench indicated that since the Finance Act 2026 is currently under consideration, it would be an appropriate time for the government to allocate funds required for implementing benefits for the affected cadets.

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