The Supreme Court has expressed displeasure over the delay in providing financial assistance to cadets who were thrown out of the armed forces due to injury or disability during training. While hearing on Tuesday (March 10, 2026), the court said that if the concerned ministries do not take a decision on the issue of giving monetary benefits to them, then it can summon the Defense Secretary and the Finance Secretary.
The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognizance of this matter. The cadet bench comprising Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuiyan was hearing the case. The court said, ‘We have already given sufficient time to the concerned ministries. If there is no progress in the case, we will be forced to direct the appearance of the Defense Secretary and the Finance Secretary in the court.
The Supreme Court said that the court had given six weeks’ time to the authorities to take a decision on this issue, but no response was given by the Defense or Finance Ministry. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati urged the court to give some more time to the ministries to decide on the issue and said that they have tried their best to resolve the matter.
ASG Aishwarya Bhati told the court that the three chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force had made recommendations on measures to improve the condition of cadets, but the concerned ministries have not taken any decision in the matter. Justice Nanagaratna said the issue required coordination between both the Defense Ministry and the Finance Ministry, and suggested that a joint meeting could help resolve the matter.
“Necessary monetary allocation should have been part of the budget,” he said. The Finance Act has not been passed yet, so there is time. The court said that the Finance Act, 2026 is under consideration and this is the best time to analyze the funds required to meet the monetary needs of these cadets.
On August 18 last year, the Supreme Court had said it wanted the defense forces to have brave cadets who would not be deterred by injuries or disabilities sustained during training and directed the Center to explore the possibility of providing them insurance cover for such emergencies.
According to a report, around 500 officers were cadets who were medically discharged from these military institutions since 1985 due to different types of disabilities during training and now they are facing rising medical bills along with monthly payment of ex-gratia which is much less than what they need.
