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