The Supreme Court on Tuesday strongly criticised the Union government for failing to take a decision on extending monetary benefits to military cadets who are boarded out due to injury or disablement during training.
“We had granted six weeks' time on January 20. However, there has been no progress in the matter. We fail to understand why despite this court taking up the issue suo motu there has been no response from the Defence Ministry as well as the Finance Ministry,” the court stated.
A bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan gave the Union Defence Ministry and the Finance Ministry two weeks to take a decision on the recommendations of the military chiefs, warning that it may summon the Defence Secretary and the Finance Secretary if no progress is made.
“Having regard to the fact that sufficient time has already been granted to the concerned ministries by us, we are constrained to observe that in case no progress is made in the matter, we would be constrained to direct the presence of the Defence Secretary and the Finance Secretary before this court”, the court stated.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the court that although the Chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force had given positive recommendations on measures to improve the condition of the cadets, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Finance had not yet taken a final decision. Justice Nagarathna expressed concern over the delay and said, “We will have to summon the secretaries here now.”
Bhati requested the court to first pass a direction giving the ministries time to decide the issue, submitting that she had tried her best to push the matter. “Before that a preemptive order may be passed that if a decision is not taken, then the secretaries shall be summoned. I have tried my best, my lords,” she said.
Justice Nagarathna observed that the issue involved financial allocation and said the decision could still be taken while the Finance Act, 2026, was under consideration. “The monetary allocation is required that should have been part of the budget. The Finance Act has not yet been passed, so there is time”, she said.
She indicated that the ministries should take a decision before the end of the month and suggested that a joint meeting between the Defence and Finance Ministries may be required, as the Defence Ministry would examine the matter but approval would have to come from the Finance Ministry.
In its order, the Court observed that the Finance Act, 2026, was currently under consideration and this was the most appropriate time to account for the expenditure required to meet the monetary needs of such cadets.
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