Supreme Court Examines Rehabilitation for Disabled Military Cadets

New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) – The Supreme Court has initiated a suo motu case to address the challenges faced by cadets medically discharged from military institutes due to disabilities sustained during training. A bench led by Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan has called for responses from the Centre and defence forces.

In its directive, the bench encouraged the Centre to consider providing insurance coverage for cadets engaged in rigorous training at military institutes to accommodate unforeseen incidents leading to death or disability. Additionally, the court urged Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, to consider increasing the current ex-gratia payment of Rs 40,000 for cadets who become disabled during training, to better cover medical expenses.

The bench also recommended exploring initiatives for rehabilitating these disabled cadets by offering desk jobs or other roles within the defence services post-rehabilitation. "We wish for the braveheart cadets to be part of the forces. Injuries or disabilities should not deter these young individuals who have cleared competitive examinations to train," the bench remarked.

A further hearing is scheduled for September 4. The Supreme Court had taken notice on August 12 after a media report highlighted the struggles of cadets who had undergone training at premier military institutes like the National Defence Academy (NDA) and Indian Military Academy (IMA).

The report outlined how, since 1985, approximately 500 officer cadets have been medically discharged with varying disabilities, burdened by rising medical costs with insufficient ex-gratia monthly payments. Specifically, at the NDA, about 20 cadets were medically discharged between 2021 and July 2025.

One key issue for these cadets is their ineligibility for the ex-servicemen (ESM) status, precluding them from the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) benefits, which would enable free treatment at military and partnered health facilities. This is because their disabilities occurred before they were officially commissioned as officers. In contrast, soldiers in similar situations do receive ESM status. Currently, disabled cadets receive ex-gratia payments up to Rs 40,000 per month, which often do not meet their basic needs.