SC seeks Centre's response on plight of cadets suffering disability during military training

The Supreme Court on Monday sought response of the Centre and Defence Forces in a suo motu case on difficulties faced by cadets, who were medically discharged from military institutes on account of disabilities suffered during training programmes.

A Bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice R Mahadevan asked the Centre to explore the possibility of putting in place a scheme for rehabilitation of these disabled cadets back into the forces in desk jobs or any other work related to defence services, after their treatment got over.

“We want brave-heart cadets to be in the forces. We don't want injuries or disability to be any kind of deterrent to these cadets, who undergo training after clearing various competitive examinations,” the Bench said, posting the matter for further hearing on September 4.

It asked the Centre to explore the possibility of granting an insurance cover to the cadets undergoing rigorous training in different military institutes to deal with exigencies such as death or disabilities.

The top court asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, to seek instructions on enhancing the Rs 40,000 ex-gratia amount granted to ‘medically discharged’ cadets to meet their medical expenses.

The top court had on August 12 taken suo motu cognisance of a media report highlighting the plight of cadets medically discharged from military institutes due to disabilities suffered during training.

Unlike disabled soldiers, who were entitled to ex-servicemen (ESM) status, all that these officer cadets get now is an ex-gratia payment of up to Rs 40,000 per month depending on the extent of disability, which falls far short of their basic needs.

The report highlighted the disability suffered by cadets, who were once part of training at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA).

According to the report in an English daily, there were around 500 officer cadets medically discharged from military training institutes such as NDA, IMA since 1985 after the incurred varying degrees of disability during training.

The report flagged their ex-gratia monthly payment was awfully insufficient to meet the medical expenses. At the NDA alone, there are around 20 such cadets, who were medically discharged in just five years, between 2021 and July 2025, the report stated.

It sought to highlight the plight of these cadets because as per rules, they are not entitled to ESM status, which would have made them eligible under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) for free treatment at military facilities and empanelled hospitals, since their disabilities took place during training before they were commissioned as officers.