New Delhi: The Supreme Court has slammed the
Union Government for treating army personnel like "beggars" in
respect of emoluments and pension and asked the authorities to
adopt a more "humane approach" towards those bravely defending
the country`s borders.
"If a person goes to any part of Delhi and sits for
begging, he will earn Rs 1000 every day and you are offering a
pittance of Rs 1000 per month for a man who fought for the
country in the high altitudes and whose arm was amputated?
"Is this the way you treat those brave army officers? It
is unfortunate that you are treating them like beggars," a
bench of Justices Markandeya Katju and A K Patnaik said in
verbal comments while passing the order.
The apex court passed the order dismissing the Centre`s
appeal challenging a Punjab and Haryana High Court direction
to pay higher pension to C S Siddu, a Short Commissioned
Officer whose right arm had to be amputated due to an accident
while on duty at the high altitudes on November November 21,
1970.
"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 bench said in an order.
There was an element of drama in the court when
Additional Solicitor General Parag Tripathi pleaded with
the court not to use "strong words" in the order like
"beggars," "niggardly" "miserly", following which the bench
dropped them from the written order.
"We regret to say that the army officers and army men in
our country are being treated in a shabby manner by the
government. In this case, the respondent,(Sidhu) who was
posted at a high altitude field area and met with an accident
during discharge of his duties was granted a meagre pension.
This is a pittance (about Rs 1000) per month plus D.A.
"If this is the manner in which the army personnel are
treated, it can only be said that it is extremely
unfortunate," the bench however, noted in its written order.
After Sidu challenged the government`s decision to pay
Rs 1000 pension, the High Court directed the government to
count the entire period of "full pay commissioned service from
June 22, 1968 to June 23, 1978" and give him enhanced pension.
The government however, challenged the direction
claiming Sidhu could be treated only as a Short Commissioned
Officer as he joined the service on June 22, 1968, and
suffered the amputation on November 21, 1970, leading to his
discharge from service on June 23, 1978. Hence it argued that
he was not entitled to enhanced pension reserved for "fully
commissioned officers."
PTI
