NEW DELHI: Upholding the Centre’s Agnipath scheme, the Delhi HC on Monday said, “Upon considering the opinions of experts bodies, defence personnel, and carefully studying the models adopted by other nations, the government has decided to finally replace the prior mode of recruitment with the recruitment envisaged by the Agnipath scheme. Considering that the stated objective of the government is neither discriminatory nor mala fide, or arbitrary, this court finds no reason to interfere with it.”
The judgement reserved on December 15 was pronounced on Monday by the division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad in the 55-page judgement. Out of 23 total petitions, five had challenged the Agnipath scheme. The other 18 petitions, which sought appointment as per previous recruitment scheme, have also been dismissed.
The HC, pointing out the salient features of the scheme, stated that it is a recruitment-generation scheme that will satisfy a large number of unemployed Indian youth and 25% of the Agniveers will be allowed to continue in the Armed Forces beyond the period of four years.
“This has been done by the government in order to meet the objective of creating an Armed Force which is agile, youthful, physically fit, and mentally alert. This will bring the Indian Armed Forces in line with nations such as the inter alia United States, United Kingdom, and France. The importance of creating such a force has also been brought to the attention of this Court,” the court observed.
The judgement reserved on December 15 was pronounced on Monday by the division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad in the 55-page judgement. Out of 23 total petitions, five had challenged the Agnipath scheme. The other 18 petitions, which sought appointment as per previous recruitment scheme, have also been dismissed.
The HC, pointing out the salient features of the scheme, stated that it is a recruitment-generation scheme that will satisfy a large number of unemployed Indian youth and 25% of the Agniveers will be allowed to continue in the Armed Forces beyond the period of four years.
“This has been done by the government in order to meet the objective of creating an Armed Force which is agile, youthful, physically fit, and mentally alert. This will bring the Indian Armed Forces in line with nations such as the inter alia United States, United Kingdom, and France. The importance of creating such a force has also been brought to the attention of this Court,” the court observed.