Overview
- The court dismissed the Union of India’s appeals and quashed Armed Forces Tribunal orders that limited arrears to the three years before filing.
- Affected veterans are entitled to broad-banded disability pension from January 1, 1996, or January 1, 2006, or their retirement date, as applicable, with 6% annual interest.
- Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe held that pension is a deferred compensation and an enforceable right, not an ex gratia payment.
- The judgment recorded government communications from 2014 and 2016 accepting payment of arrears from the specified cut-off dates, stating the State cannot now resile.
- Addressing conflicting AFT rulings and the Ram Avtar line of cases, the court rejected limitation-based curbs and directed uniform implementation for similarly placed ex-servicemen.