Ex-servicemen body seeks review of SC judgement on rulings of Armed Forces Tribunal

NEW DELHI: Abody representing exservicemen has sought a review of the Supreme Court judgement that rulings of the Armed Forces Tribunal can be challenged only in the apex court and not in high courts.

“The verdict (of March 11) led to consternation among welfare organisations that saw it as having made justice unaffordable and unreachable for defence personnel, ex-servicemen and their families,” said Bhim Singh Sehgal, chairman of Chandigarh-based All India Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association, which has moved the court over the issue.

Litigation costs in the SC can go beyond the means of soldiers hailing from small villages, said Sehgal, adding that prior to the judgement, ex-servicemen and their families appealed against the AFT decisions in high courts, some of which entertained writ petitions.

The judgement came in the case where the defence ministry went to the Supreme Court in 2012, seeking discontinuation of the practice of high courts entertaining writ petitions against the rulings of the AFT.

Several welfare organisations representing ex-servicemen – including Ex-Servicemen Grievances Cell, Mohali and Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement – shot off protest letters to the Prime Minister, pleading that the government initiate steps to abrogate and repeal Sections 30 and 31 of the AFT Act, 2007 in order to make justice accessible to defence personnel.