Agniveer’s mother moves court over denial of benefits to slain troop’s family
Says Agnipath scheme discriminates between Agniveers & regular soldiers
Mumbai: The mother of Indian Army Agniveer Murali Naik, who was killed in Poonch district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, has approached the Bombay High Court challenging the denial of benefits normally granted to the families of regular soldiers.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the petition filed by Naik’s mother, Jyotibai Naik, argues that the Agnipath scheme creates an “arbitrary” and discriminatory distinction between Agniveers and regular troops, resulting in families of slain Agniveers being denied full posthumous benefits despite performing the same duties and facing identical risks.
Filed through advocates Sandesh More, Hemant Ghadigaonkar and Hitendra Gandhi, the petition states that while Agniveers serve on the frontlines like regular soldiers, their families are excluded from long-term pension and welfare entitlements.
“The Agnipath scheme introduced by the government expressly excludes Agniveers from post-service pension benefits and other long-term welfare entitlements normally available to regular soldiers,” the petition said. It added that even in cases where troops are killed in action, as in Naik’s case, the families receive only one-time ex-gratia, with no pension or institutional support.
The petition sought directions to ensure equal posthumous benefits for Agniveers, including family pensions, long-term welfare measures and institutional recognition for those who die in service.
After Naik’s killing, the petitioner wrote to several authorities urging that her family be granted the same entitlements provided to the families of regular soldiers, but she has not received any reply.
The petition said that the denial of equal benefits is “discriminatory” and violates fundamental rights.
“The scheme has created an arbitrary and unreasonable classification between Agniveers and regular soldiers without any intelligible differentia,” it said.
