Supreme Court Seeks Centre’s Response on Granting Ex-Servicemen Status to Disabled Cadets
Apex court seeks government response on reservation, insurance, and rehabilitation measures for cadets medically discharged due to training injuries.
NEW DELHI, Apr 3: The Supreme Court has sought the Centre’s view on whether military cadets who are medically discharged due to disabilities sustained during training can be granted ex-servicemen status. Such a move would allow them to access reservation benefits in government and semi-government jobs.
A bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan noted that most of these cadets are under 30 and in urgent need of employment. “One aspect discussed was whether boarded-out cadets could be considered ex-military personnel for the purpose of reservation in various governmental and semi-government posts,” the bench said.
Additional Solicitor General N Venkataraman, representing the Union of India, said the government would provide a comprehensive response. The court is hearing a suo motu case addressing the challenges faced by cadets discharged due to injury or disability during training.
In August last year, the apex court emphasized the importance of retaining “braveheart cadets” and directed the Centre to explore insurance schemes to cover injuries or disabilities incurred during training. It also asked the government to consider increasing the current lump sum of ₹40,000 provided to disabled cadets to meet medical expenses and implement the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), which has been approved but not yet executed.
The court further directed the government to explore rehabilitation schemes for these cadets, including desk jobs or roles related to defence services, once treatment is complete. Since 1985, nearly 500 officer cadets from prestigious institutions such as the National Defence Academy (NDA) and Indian Military Academy (IMA) have been discharged due to disabilities, leaving many struggling with mounting medical bills.
