Top Court to listen to on July 15 cases challenging Union’s agnipath scheme

The Pinnacle court on Friday will hear pleas challenging the Centre's Agnipath scheme for short-term recruitment into the defense force. A bench of justices DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna will consider the matter.

The Agnipath scheme was announced by the Narendra Modi government in June for a short-term induction of soldiers within the defense force. The scheme seeks to recruit soldiers, including women for under four years with a provision to retain 25 percent of them within the regular cadre for an additional 15 years after another round of screening.

The announcement had led to protests across the country, with agitations turning violent in some states. Some petitions were filed within the Supreme Court challenging the scheme introduced by the Centre. The Centre has been aggressively defending the scheme, stating that the reforms were long pending because the militia wanted to herald youthfulness and skill. The defence ministry had also said that concessions like reservations for ‘Agniveers’ by different ministries were pre-planned and not in reaction to the arson which transpire in June.

“This reform was long pending. we wish to bring youthfulness and skill with this reform. Today, an outsized number of jawans are within their 30s& officers have gotten command much later than in the past,” Lt Gen Anil Puri, Additional Secretary, Dept of Military Affairs, said at the briefing on June 19.