Govt treats soldiers shabbily: SC

The government treats army men shabbily when it comes to paying out pensions and other benefits to soldiers, the Supreme Court has said.

The government treats army men shabbily when it comes to paying out pensions and other benefits to soldiers, the Supreme Court has said.

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“This is a pittance. If this is the manner in which the army personnel are treated, it is extremely unfortunate,” a bench of Justices Markandeya Katju and A K Patnaik said on Thursday of a pension of Rs 1,000 (plus dearness allowance) given to a disabled soldier.

The court came down hard on the Centre and dismissed its appeal challenging a Punjab and Haryana High Court direction to pay higher pension to C S Sidhu, a short service commissioned officer. Sidhu’s right arm had to be amputated after an accident while on duty at a high altitude post on November 21, 1970.

A short service commissioned officer serves the army anywhere from 5 to 14 years.

"The army personnel are bravely defending the country even at the cost of their lives and we feel they should be treated in a better and more humane manner by government authorities, particularly, in respect of their emoluments, pension and other benefits,” the court said.

The bench dismissed Additional solicitor General Parag P Tripathi’s arguments that the court should not increase the pension of the armyman.

“We regret to say that the army officers and army men in our country are being treated in a shabby manner by the government,” the court said. Sidhu, who was posted at a high altitude field area and met with an accident while discharging his duties, was granted a meagre pension, the court said. It ordered that Sidhu be paid arrears with 8 per cent interest per annum within three months.