The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the difficulties faced by cadets who were medically discharged from premier military institutes after suffering disabilities during training.
A bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan is set to hear the matter on Monday. The case was registered on August 12 after a media report brought to light the struggles of these cadets, who trained at institutions such as the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA).
Plight of Discharged Cadets
According to the report, nearly 500 officer cadets have been medically discharged from military academies since 1985 due to varying degrees of disability incurred during training. Many of them now face mounting medical bills and survive on a modest ex-gratia monthly payment that falls short of their requirements.
At the NDA alone, around 20 cadets were medically discharged between 2021 and July 2025, the report highlighted.
Denial of Ex-Servicemen Status
A major concern is that these cadets are not recognised as ex-servicemen (ESM) because their disabilities occurred during training, before they were commissioned as officers. As a result, they are excluded from the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), which provides free treatment at military hospitals and empanelled private facilities.
In contrast, soldiers who suffer disability in similar circumstances are granted ESM status, ensuring them access to health and welfare benefits.
Ex-Gratia Compensation Inadequate
Currently, disabled cadets receive an ex-gratia monthly payment of up to ₹40,000 depending on the degree of disability. However, this amount is often insufficient to meet even their basic needs, let alone the high costs of long-term medical care.
