Delhi HC, outraged by Defense Ministry’s appeals against AFT rulings, warns of fines | India News – Times of India

CHANDIGARH: The Delhi High Court is angry as the defense ministry repeatedly challenges court decisions in favor of ex-servicemen. It has warned the ministry that it may impose sanctions if such challenges continue.
“It is noted that despite repeated orders of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) and upheld by this court, the ministry continues to file petitions here, raising similar legal questions,” HC noted in an order released last week.
The court made these observations in a case filed by the army and the ministry challenging the grant of pension to a Defense Security Corps soldier. HC has already dismissed more than 350 petitions filed by the government on the same issue. Since 2023, the military and the ministry have been challenging AFT rulings on pensions and disability benefits in various high courts and the Supreme Court. SC has also issued several restrictions in the past excessive lawsuits at the initiative of the ministry.
In 2022, SC expressed its “displeasure” over the ministry’s calls cases of disability pensionand earlier this year it awarded Rs 50 lakh as compensation to a soldier with HIV who had been denied a disability pension by both the Army and the AFT.
In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, concerned about excessive litigation, directed then Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar to find ways to reduce it.