The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Union government and the armed forces in a suo motu case it initiated based on a media report describing the hardships faced by military cadets who suffer disabilities during training, Bar and Bench reported.

The court took up the case on the basis of an investigation by The Indian Express, which found that government efforts to increase welfare benefits for such cadets have been stalled due to bureaucratic hurdles for over a year.

Notices have been issued to the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare in the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Social Justice, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the chiefs of the Army, Air Force and Navy.

Since 1985, around 500 officer cadets have been medically discharged from military institutions because of disabilities that they suffered during the training, The Indian Express reported. They only get ex-gratia payments of up to Rs 40,000 per month, depending on the extent of the disability.

This amount is far below what they and their caregivers need, considering their rising medical expenses, the newspaper reported, citing interviews with the cadets and their families. Further, because the cadets are not ex-servicemen, they are not eligible for the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme, which has provisions for free treatment at military facilities and empanelled hospitals.

On Monday, a bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan said it will examine whether the cadets’ monthly compensation could be increased and whether a group medical insurance plan could be devised for them, Bar and Bench reported.

The court will also look into the question of whether the cadets can be considered for non-field roles once they recover.

The counsel appearing for the cadets said that they do not have insurance cover and sometimes, they do not even get the ex-gratia compensation. The counsel told the court that since the cadets have not been commissioned as ex-servicemen, they cannot get the resultant benefits, according to Bar and Bench.

The court, however, said that the cadets could be given some benefits even if they are not ex-servicemen. “But for the disability, they would have joined the forces,” the court said. “But this is unfortunate that they meet with an accident during training not owing to their negligence.”

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, told the court that she would consult with the departments concerned and submit a detailed affidavit.

The matter will be heard next on September 4.

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