Eighty-year-old Gurpal Singh, a retired soldier of 5 Sikh Regiment, was awarded a monthly pension of Rs 16,000 and Rs 20 lakh in arrears by the Chandigarh Armed Forces Tribunal after a seven-year legal battle. The order followed the intervention of the ex-servicemen’s grievances cell.
Delivering the ruling last month, the tribunal ordered the Army to grant Gurpal, a resident of Andheri village in Kharar, a “reservist pension”, along with 10 years of arrears. “The best thing for me is getting the status of an ex-serviceman,” said Gurpal. The Tribunal, in its verdict delivered on May 8, 2025, also ordered free medical treatment to Gurpal’s family members, access to the Army canteen and other benefits accorded to ex-servicemen.
Gurpal said he was recruited into the Army on October 28, 1961 and served until October 27, 1970, completing nine years of active service. His enlistment was based on a “7/8 year condition (seven years of regular service and eight years reserve)”. However, the Army denied him a pension, citing “non-availability of position” post regular service.
In 2018, Gurpal approached Lt Col (Retd) S S Sohi, head of the Mohali Ex-Servicemen Grievances Cell, who promptly filed a case before the Chandigarh Armed Forces Tribunal. The Army initially contended that “no old records were available” to support the claim. Advocate R N Ojha, who appeared for Gurpal, overcame multiple legal hurdles, including justifying the delay in approaching the Tribunal and proving that his service terms were violated.
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