Army Disability Pension

The Supreme Court has said army personnel will be entitled to disability pension only if the disability is attributable to military service or was aggravated by such service and if such condition is more than 20 per cent.

An ex-serviceman on Wednesday sent a legal notice to former adjutant general of the Indian Army Ashwani Kumar over his "disparaging" remarks about disability pensioners.

A city-based organisation of war disabled and battle casualties has taken strong exception to the Army's endorsement of a government move to tax the disability pension, saying any "discrimination or invidious distinction" while making an official statement, affects the morale of the entire military community.

In a circular issued June 24, the Central Board of Direct Taxes said pensions drawn by personnel who retired under normal circumstances would be taxed. It also clarified that disability pensions, which are additional payments, measured by rank, made to personnel who suffer disabling injuries in the line of duty, would remain tax free

Brigadier SS Ahluwallia, a Vir Chakra awardee, lost his toes to frostbite in the course of a heroic effort to capture the country's highest picket near the Siachen glacier in the 1971 India-Pakistan war. He opted for voluntary retirement at the turn of the century and returned home, only to be thrust into a different kind of battle. A legal one.

The government has decided to remove existing "anomalies" and come out with a specific percentage-based system for granting disability pensions to Army, Navy and Air Force personnel sustaining injuries in the line of duty.

After a meeting of the Union Cabinet, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley assured that the government was addressing the demand of extending pay matrix from 24 years to 40 year sand carrying out rationalisation of pay Lt Colonels and Colonels.

The Supreme Court has said army personnel will be entitled to disability pension only if the disability is attributable to military service or was aggravated by such service and if such condition is more than 20 per cent.

An ex-serviceman on Wednesday sent a legal notice to former adjutant general of the Indian Army Ashwani Kumar over his "disparaging" remarks about disability pensioners.

A city-based organisation of war disabled and battle casualties has taken strong exception to the Army's endorsement of a government move to tax the disability pension, saying any "discrimination or invidious distinction" while making an official statement, affects the morale of the entire military community.

In a circular issued June 24, the Central Board of Direct Taxes said pensions drawn by personnel who retired under normal circumstances would be taxed. It also clarified that disability pensions, which are additional payments, measured by rank, made to personnel who suffer disabling injuries in the line of duty, would remain tax free

Brigadier SS Ahluwallia, a Vir Chakra awardee, lost his toes to frostbite in the course of a heroic effort to capture the country's highest picket near the Siachen glacier in the 1971 India-Pakistan war. He opted for voluntary retirement at the turn of the century and returned home, only to be thrust into a different kind of battle. A legal one.

The government has decided to remove existing "anomalies" and come out with a specific percentage-based system for granting disability pensions to Army, Navy and Air Force personnel sustaining injuries in the line of duty.

After a meeting of the Union Cabinet, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley assured that the government was addressing the demand of extending pay matrix from 24 years to 40 year sand carrying out rationalisation of pay Lt Colonels and Colonels.