Agnipath now faces legal challenge; 11 points in Supreme Court plea

The petition, which was filed on June 20 by Harsh Ajay Singh, sought the apex court direction to put a stay on the scheme citing its non-viability.

Agnipath faces legal test; 11 main points of contention

Team Newsable

New Delhi, First Published Jun 21, 2022, 2:04 PM IST | Last Updated Jun 21, 2022, 2:06 PM IST

Days after the Narendra Modi government announced Agnipath Scheme for the youths who aspire to join the armed forces for four years, three petitions have been filed against its implementation or withdrawal in the Supreme Court, challenging its constitutional validity.

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The petition, which was filed on June 20 by Harsh Ajay Singh, sought the apex court's direction to put a stay on the scheme citing its non-viability.

Let's know in detail about the petition filed against the scheme that the government has described as transformative reforms in the defence forces.

1. A four-year short-term recruitment is insufficient to inculcate the values and ethos of the young brigade of Indian armed forces. There is a possibility of Agniveers trained under the scheme going astray.

2. The defence forces are the first choice for most of the youths from rural India and it may no longer remain the first choice as they would be at the dead-end of the street too early in their lives.

3. Agnipath scheme will create a brigade of young unemployed armed trained youth.

4. The armed forces are an equipment-oriented organization and require highly technical knowledge and it takes years to master it. Four years is not at all enough to master manoeuvrings of tank or signal equipment or artillery guns.

5. It should be 50 per cent retention for long-term posts. A blanket application of this rule should be avoided.

6. Agniveers will not be getting gratuity as one needs to have to complete 5 years. Also, no rank and no pension will be given to them.

7. Would an Agniveer be ready to give his life who has come for short-term service?

8. 'Kaumi' paltan on which infantry regiments are based like Rajput, Dogra, Sikh, Jat, and Maratha regiments will be diluted, where soldiers go through their proud history of theirs and vouch to die for the regiment.

9. There will be a void in middle-rung junior leadership, who lead the battle. It would divide the 'paltan' as no one would prefer to take these greenhorns along with them for operations in counter-insurgency. It takes years to develop camaraderie and have faith in each other.

10. There will be no job security after 4 years.

11. The scheme is being looked at only from an economic point of view and not taking national security into consideration.

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