Overview

• Following its registration on August 12, the Supreme Court has scheduled a mid-August hearing before Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan to examine the issue formally.
• A recent media report highlighted nearly 500 officer cadets discharged for training-related disabilities since 1985 and around 20 cases at the NDA between 2021 and July 2025.
• Current regulations exclude trainees injured before commissioning from ex-servicemen status and the ECHS, barring them from free treatment at military and empanelled hospitals.
• Discharged cadets rely on discretionary ex-gratia payments of up to Rs 40,000 per month, a sum deemed insufficient for lifelong injuries and escalating medical costs.
• The Supreme Court’s inquiry could prompt policy reforms on benefit eligibility and impose greater institutional accountability for pre-commission training welfare.