Sacrificial fire warriors are also soldiers, then why 'discrimination'? High Court seeks response from Center on mother's petition
PTI, Mumbai. The Bombay High Court has sought a response from the Central Government on the petition of the mother of Agniveer, who was martyred in cross-border shelling in Jammu and Kashmir during Operation Sindoor. It has been said in this petition that in such cases, the facilities and benefits which are given to the family of a regular soldier, should also be given to the relatives of Agniveer.
Justice Ravindra Ghuge has issued a notice to the Defense Ministry seeking its response on the petition of Agniveer Murali Naik's mother. The next hearing of the case will be on January 15.
In the petition, Naik's mother Jyotibai claimed that under this scheme, separate classes have been created between Agniveers and regular soldiers without any solid and rational basis, which is arbitrary and unfair.
Agniveers do the same work, perform the same responsibilities and face the same risks as regular soldiers, yet their families are deprived of long-term pensions and other welfare benefits.
According to the petition, the family of martyr Agniveer gets an ex-gratia amount of Rs 1 crore, but like the families of regular soldiers, they are not given pension or other facilities.
Agniveer Naik was killed in an attack by Pakistani Army during Operation Sindoor in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir on May 9 this year. Let us tell you that Operation Sindoor was a campaign launched by the Army in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April. 26 tourists were killed in the terrorist attack.
According to the petition, Naik was recruited in the Indian Army in June 2023. After his sacrifice, the petitioner sent letters to several authorities requesting that his family be given the same benefits given to the families of regular soldiers. The petition claims that they have not received any reply yet.
The petition said that although the legality of the Agneepath scheme is not being completely challenged, it is 'discriminatory' and violates the fundamental rights of the citizens.
"The scheme has created an arbitrary and unfair classification between Agniveers and regular soldiers without any clear distinction," it said.
It is noteworthy that the Central Government had launched the Agneepath Scheme for short-term recruitment in the Army, Navy and Air Force in the year 2022, the objective of which was to reduce the average age of the three forces.