The central government has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court saying that before taking a decision on the petitions filed against the Agneepath scheme brought for army recruitment, ‘must hear its side’ once. Three petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court against the Agneepath scheme. However, no petition has been named in the caveat filed by the government.
Advocate Harsh Ajay Singh on Monday (20- June-2022) filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Center to reconsider its ‘Agneepath’ recruitment scheme. The petition also states that the announcement of the scheme has led to protests in many parts of the country. Earlier, two separate petitions were filed by advocates ML Sharma and Vishal Tiwari.
The petition, filed by advocate ML Sharma, has alleged that the government has struck down a century-old selection process for the armed forces, which is contrary to the constitutional provisions and the decision has been taken without the consent of the Parliament.
Last week, advocate Vishal Tiwari, in his petition, urged the Supreme Court to set up a committee to examine the impact of the scheme on national security and the military. Along with this, Tiwari also sought a direction to the court to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the large-scale violence against the scheme, which has caused massive damage to public property.
Let us tell you, on June 14, through the Agneepath scheme, the new army recruitment process was placed in front of the country by the central government. Through this scheme, the youth of 17.5 to 18 years are to be recruited in the army for 4 years. In this, facilities like monthly pension and gratuity will not be given to the soldiers after retirement. Since the introduction of this scheme, youths across the country started protesting.