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Punjab & Haryana HC: Soldiers Injured on Duty in Ops Zones Entitled to War Injury Pension

Punjab and Haryana High Court affirms soldiers injured during support tasks in operational zones deserve war injury pensions.

Punjb Haryana High Court

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that soldiers injured during operational duties—even in non-combat roles such as transporting fuel—are entitled to a war injury pension. This significant judgment reinforces the rights of armed forces personnel serving in sensitive and high-risk areas like Jammu & Kashmir.

The case involved ex-soldier B. Ramakrishna, who sustained severe injuries when a military vehicle skidded while he was on official duty collecting kerosene in J&K under Operation Rakshak—an anti-terrorism mission. The High Court upheld the decision of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) to grant him a lifetime war injury pension starting from 2012.

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The Centre had challenged the AFT’s 2023 order, arguing that the incident was a routine accident. However, the court rejected this view, stating that operational duties in conflict zones, even non-combat ones, fall under the scope of war-related service.

A bench comprising Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Meenakshi I Mehta clarified that such duties, when performed under military operations like Operation Rakshak, make any resultant injury eligible for war injury benefits.

This verdict marks a win for soldiers performing critical support tasks under risky conditions and sets a precedent for similar cases in the future.

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