Supreme Court questions delay in deciding aid for cadets disabled during training

The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday sharply questioned the delay by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Finance in deciding on medical and financial assistance for armed forces cadets who suffer serious injuries during training and are subsequently boarded out.

The matter arose during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a framework to provide medical treatment and financial aid to cadets who are forced to leave training academies after sustaining severe injuries. These cadets, often discharged before commissioning, are currently left without long-term institutional support.

Appearing for the Union government, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the bench that the chiefs of the three armed services had already given a positive recommendation to ameliorate the conditions of such cadets. However, she submitted that the issue remains unresolved because a final decision is yet to be taken by the Defence and Finance ministries.

A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan expressed concern over the delay, noting that the court had earlier taken suo motu cognisance of the issue but had not received a substantive response from the concerned ministries.

“We fail to understand why, despite suo motu cognisance and time being given for response by this court, there is no response from the Defence Ministry and Finance Ministry,” the bench observed. The court pointed out that the timing was particularly significant since the annual budget process under the Finance Act, 2026 is currently under consideration in Parliament.

“This period would have been the most appropriate time for the government to evaluate the financial requirements,” the bench observed. “This is the time when the budget is being considered. Why have you not sent the recommendation now? It should have been taken up. You should have advised them,” the court remarked during the hearing.

The bench directed that a copy of its order be sent to the Defence Secretary and the Finance Secretary, emphasising that sufficient time had already been granted to the concerned ministries to act on the matter. The court further warned that if no progress is made within the next two weeks, it may be compelled to summon the personal presence of the two senior officials to explain the delay in decision-making.

The judges also questioned why no specific budgetary provision had yet been proposed to extend medical treatment and financial assistance to cadets injured during training, especially when the service chiefs had already endorsed the proposal.

The court underscored that the issue concerns young cadets who suffer serious injuries while undergoing rigorous military training and are subsequently discharged without adequate support.

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on March 24.

- Ends

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