New Delhi, February 20: Citing Lok Sabha elections and the anger of ex-servicemen for not fulfilling the 2014 poll promise ‘to improve the efficiency of Armed Forces Tribunal and minimise appeals by the government’, Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday directed the officials to withdraw 60 civil appeals filed by the government in Supreme Court against the orders of Armed Forces Tribunal/Courts in ex-servicemen pension cases. In all these cases, the apex court has settled the law, or the government has issued policy letters after filing civil appeals.

Earlier in 2015, the Union government had appealed the tribunal’s decision in the Supreme Court, arguing, that ex-servicemen were not entitled to a disability pension because they had opted to retire prematurely. The court dismissed the appeal in 2016. Nirmala Sitharaman Doubts Imran Khan’s Promise Post Pulwama Strike, Asks What Steps Pakistan Took After India Sent Dossiers on 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attacks. 

However, the Union government filed 800 appeals – between 2014 and 2017 – in the SC against tribunal’s rulings in favour of disabled soldiers, members of ex-servicemen bodies and lawyers dealing with such cases. Though it lost all the cases, it won one. Also, the SC turned down BJP government’s over 1000 appeals against disability pensions – some filed before 2014 – on the grounds that too much time had lapsed.

It is to be known that since 2017, the Union government has not filed new appeals against disability pensions, but had not withdrawn its appeal either, till Wednesday. The government’s move goes against the recommendations of its expert committee which it formed in 2015, to look into the armed forces’ concerns about service conditions and pensions.

The report filed by the committee had noted that till December 1, 2014, almost 90 percent of the appeals filed by the defence ministry pertained to disability pensions. Though the Union Defence Ministry had accepted the recommendations, but is still to implement them.

Cases – related to disability pensions – pending action include that of retired squadron leader with the Indian Air Force Pareek Kumar, India-Pakistan war (1971) veteran, among others.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 20, 2019 04:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).