Govt should not appeal against disability pension claims by

The government should not file appeals against claims of disability pension or benefits by retired armed forces personnel and instead it should put in place a system to weed out misrepresented cases, a member of a key parliamentary committee said today.
"I am concerned over the painful battles soldiers have to fight for disability pension/benefits. It is an issue I have raised time and again with successive governments and Ministers of Defence," Rajya Sabha MP and Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence Rajeev Chandrasekhar said.
Speaking at a seminar on the issue here, the MP said he would recommend that there should be no appeal in disability cases rather a strong process of audit should be put in place to weed out misrepresented cases.

There are at present over 16,000 cases related to uniformed services pending before various courts and tribunals in the country.
Almost 90 per cent of the total appeals filed by the Ministry of Defence are challenge to claims of disability benefits by soldiers, he claimed.
"There should be audits to check cases, instead of appealing against all. Those who serve have to fight an imaginary enemy," he said.

Speaking at the event, Lt Gen M Sabharwal (Retd), former Adjutant General of the Indian Army, said "attitude towards the veterans have changed - those who are serving must also look after those who have retired."

Colonel H N Handa (Retd), a 1965 War veteran and President of the Disabled War Veterans (India), said, "The long planned veteran's commission must be put in place and the Defence Minister's committee of experts' recommendation must be implemented. There is frustration on denial of justice."
Major Navdeep Singh (Retd), a lawyer and member of the Committee of Experts, said "the political executive needs an iron fist. They need to realise that litigation is not war and they have to assist the court to settle matters and not fight to win cases.