The Supreme Court on Tuesday warned that it may summon the Defence Secretary and the Finance Secretary if the concerned ministries fail to take a decision on extending monetary benefits to military cadets who were rendered unfit due to disabilities suffered during training. The court expressed concern over the lack of progress despite earlier directions and scheduled the matter for further hearing on March 24.
A Bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan was hearing a suo motu case concerning the difficulties faced by officer cadets who were medically discharged from military training institutions after suffering injuries or disabilities during their training.
The court noted that six weeks had previously been granted to the Defence Ministry and the Finance Ministry to take a decision on the issue. However, no response had been received from either ministry.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the delay, the bench observed that if there was no progress in the matter, it would be compelled to direct the personal appearance of the Defence Secretary and the Finance Secretary before the court.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati sought additional time for the ministries to reach a decision. She informed the court that the chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force had already made recommendations proposing measures to improve the condition of such cadets, but the concerned ministries had not yet taken a final decision.
Justice Nagarathna remarked that the issue required coordination between the Defence Ministry and the Finance Ministry, suggesting that a joint meeting between the two could help resolve the matter. She also pointed out that the financial allocation required for such benefits could still be addressed during the current budget process.
“The monetary allocation required should have been part of the Budget. The Finance Act has not yet been passed, so there is time,” she observed.
The bench further noted that the Finance Act, 2026 is currently under consideration and described this period as the most appropriate time to assess the expenditure required to support cadets who were boarded out during training.
Earlier, on August 18 last year, the Supreme Court had emphasised that the armed forces require “braveheart cadets” who should not be discouraged by injuries or disabilities suffered during rigorous training. The court had directed the Centre to explore providing insurance coverage to cadets undergoing training at military institutions to address situations involving death or disability.
The court had also asked the government to consider enhancing the existing lump sum compensation of ₹40,000 currently provided to cadets who suffer disabilities during training, noting that the amount may be inadequate to meet their medical needs.
During earlier proceedings, the court was informed that a file relating to granting these cadets coverage under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) had been cleared by the ministry but had not yet been implemented.
The bench had also asked the Centre to examine the possibility of rehabilitating such candidates by offering them desk roles or other positions connected to defence services after completion of their treatment.
The proceedings stem from a suo motu case initiated by the Supreme Court on August 12 last year after taking cognisance of a media report highlighting the plight of cadets who were medically discharged from premier military training institutions such as the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA).
According to the report placed before the court, nearly 500 officer cadets have been medically discharged from these institutes since 1985 after suffering varying degrees of disability during training. Many of them now face mounting medical expenses while receiving only limited financial assistance through ex-gratia payments.
