The Supreme Court on Wednesday (October 7, 2026) rebuked the Centre for its failure to comply with its directions to reconsider welfare measures for military officer cadets who became unfit due to any disability suffered during their training period.
During the hearing, the top court noted that ordinary recruits who are boarded out get disability pensions and other benefits, while officer cadets are denied similar treatment. The top court then granted time to the Centre to reconsider the issue. The apex court said the affidavit filed by the central government merely points to meetings held in 2022 and extracted earlier decisions rejecting disability pension and ex-servicemen (ESM) status for the out-boarded officer cadets.
It said there is “no whisper” that the Sabharwal Committee recommendations had been reconsidered in light of the court’s August 4 direction.
The top court noted that there had been no genuine reconsideration of the recommendations of the 2015 Sabharwal Committee report despite clear directions issued on August 4, 2026. You say we disposed of it in 2022, and there ends the matter. A Bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna, R. Mahadevan and D.K. “What is this attitude you are showing to the court? What is the attitude on the part of the department? Justice Nagarathna observed orally.
Upadhyaya was hearing a suo motu case related to the difficulties faced by cadets who were boarded out due to injury or disablement during training.
