Overview
- The bench, which issued notice in January, ordered on Tuesday that the Centre file its affidavit by May 6 and cautioned that heavy costs will follow any further delay.
- The judges ordered a single affidavit from the Defence Ministry, the Army chief, Ex‑servicemen’s Welfare, the Cabinet Secretary and Maharashtra, with the case listed for June 18.
- Petitioner Jyothibai Naik seeks regular-soldier death benefits for her son, Agniveer M. Murali Naik, who was killed on May 9 in cross‑border shelling in Poonch during Operation Sindoor.
- Her plea says the family received about Rs 1 crore in ex‑gratia and insurance but was denied a family pension, lifetime healthcare and other welfare given to regular soldiers.
- The case challenges Agnipath’s rule that four‑year Agniveer contracts carry no post‑service pension as discriminatory, while stopping short of asking the court to strike down the scheme.