The Supreme Court of India. (File photo)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has issued a sharp rebuke to the central government for its protracted delays in implementing the “one rank, one pension” (OROP) scheme for retired Indian Army captains. The court expressed its displeasure over the government’s failure to address pension anomalies affecting these veterans.
In a strongly worded order, the bench, comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice R Mahadevan, also imposed a fine of ₹2 lakh on the Centre for its negligence and set a final deadline of November 14 to resolve the outstanding pension issues. The court warned that if the government fails to comply, pension benefits for retired captains will be increased by 10 per cent.
The bench said, “For how many years will this go on? Either you pay an enhanced pension by 10 per cent or we are imposing a cost on you. We wanted a decision to be taken, but you have not taken it. This matter came up in 2021 but still no decision has been taken.”
The bench then listed the matter for further hearing on November 25.
The OROP scheme, aimed at providing equal pensions to armed forces personnel of the same rank and with the same length of service, has been a long-standing demand of veterans. While the government has taken steps to implement the scheme, several anomalies and discrepancies persist, particularly affecting lower-ranked officers.
The court’s intervention comes as a relief to thousands of retired Army captains who have been awaiting the resolution of their pension issues for years. Veterans’ organizations have welcomed the court’s decision and expressed hope that the government will expedite the process of rectifying the anomalies.
The government has faced mounting pressure over the OROP issue, with opposition parties and veterans’ groups criticizing its handling of the matter. The Supreme Court’s order is likely to intensify the scrutiny on the government’s actions and force it to take decisive steps to address the concerns of retired armed forces personnel.
