From The Pioneer
October 19, 2010
PNS | New Delhi
After pushing for an independent pay tribunal exclusively for the armed forces, the Supreme Court on Monday flew into a rage over the “insensitive bureaucracy” at the Centre that was throwing a spanner into the proposal, citing financial constraints.
A Bench of Justices Markandey Katju and TS Thakur said, “Sitting somewhere in a plush office in Delhi and finding faults in each proposal is easy. This Defence Secretary must be sent for 10 days to these high altitudes…At least see the conditions in which these people serve.”
Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, who appeared for the Centre, sought time from the court as the Government was facing many objections towards setting up a panel to look into pay and pension-related grievances of the armed forces. The Bench reluctantly gave a final opportunity after it noted two previous occasions when time was sought on similar grounds but no response was forthcoming.
Sharing its concern, the Bench said, “Your bureaucrats are not bothered…people in the Army are returning medals in thousands and some have even burnt their artificial limbs in protest. They get a feeling now that these bureaucrats do not hear them. If you have a commission, at least some steam will be let out.”
Subramanium said, “I see value in what the court has suggested but this involves more than one Ministry. Even the recurring liability would be high.”
The Bench posted the matter to November 8, asking the Centre to respond specifically to the suggestion, setting out the areas and parameters it was willing to consider. The apex court on September 8 had suggested setting up an independent pay tribunal chaired by a retired Supreme Court judge that would be a recommendatory body.
The Bench urged the Centre to consider the profit in the suggestion accruing to the Centre as well since the Army personnel who had approached the court, seeking rank pay (an allowance announced by the Centre in the Fourth Pay Commission) had succeeded before the apex court.
The judges were critical of the bureaucracy’s apathy towards the armed forces. The Bench noted, “If this was a proposal for the bureaucrats, it would soon be implemented. We don’t expect the bureaucracy to support this proposal…We need to deal with them (armed forces) separately as a distinct class.”
The court even suggested the Centre to consider including paramilitary forces in the scope of the tribunal owing to the tough assignments they perform, similar to the armed forces.
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