Adv. for UOI with Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and Sgt Mritunjay (Air Force Legal v. EX SGT BABU LAL YADAV

Through: Mr. Jagdish Chandra, CGSC with Mr. Sujeet Kumar Choudhary, Adv. with Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and Sgt Mritunjay Air Force (Legal Cell) versus EX SGT MUKESH KUMAR PANDEY (SER NO 795766-A) .....Respondent Through: + W.P.(C) 1019/2025, CM APPL. 5057/2025 W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters UNION OF INDIA & ORS. .....Petitioners Through: Sgt Mritunjay Air Force (Legal Cell) Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and versus EX MWO VIJENDER SINGH TEOTIA .....Respondent Through: + W.P.(C) 1031/2025, CM APPL. 5106/2025 UNION OF INDIA & ORS. .....Petitioners Through: Mr. Raghvendra Shukla Sr. PC for UOI with Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and Sgt Mritunjay Air Force (Legal Cell) versus 634793 HFL NARAYANASAMY NAMMALWAR (RETD.) .....Respondent Through: Mr. Manoj Kumar Gupta and Ms. Esha Mehrotra, Advs. + W.P.(C) 1277/2025, CM APPL. 6317/2025 UNION OF INDIA THROUGH ITS SECRETARY, & ORS. .....Petitioners Through: Mr. Theepa Murugesan, Sr. PC with Ms. Sanya Bhatia, Adv. for UOI with Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and Sgt Mritunjay Air Force (Legal Cell) versus 772697 SGT PINAKI CHOUDHURY(RETD) .....Respondent Through: Mr. Baljeet Singh and Mr. A.K. Chaudhary, Advs. + W.P.(C) 1279/2025, CM APPL. 6321/2025 W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters UNION OF INDIA & ORS. .....Petitioners Through: Ms. Seema Gulati, Sr. PC with Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and Sgt Mritunjay Air Force (Legal Cell) versus EX MWO HFL AMRIT LAL SEKHRI .....Respondent Through: Mr. Baljeet Singh and Mr. A.K. Chaudhary, Advs. + W.P.(C) 1468/2025, CM APPL. 7108/2025 UNION OF INDIA & ORS. .....Petitioners Through: Mr. Satya Ranjan Swain, Sr. PC with Mr. Kautilya Birat, Mr. Ankush Kapoor and Mr. Vishwadeep Chandrakar, Advs. with Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and Sgt Mritunjay Air Force (Legal Cell) versus GP CAPT VINAY SAREEN .....Respondent Through: Mr. Ajai Bhalla and Ms. Aditi Laxman, Advs. + W.P.(C) 1472/2025, CM APPL. 7114/2025 UNION OF INDIA AND ORS .....Petitioners Through: Mr. Shubham Mahajan, Sr. PC for UOI with Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and Sgt Mritunjay Air Force (Legal Cell) versus EX WO SURENDRA KUMAR SINGH 676264 .....Respondent Through: Mr. Shiv Ram Singh, Mr. Girindra Kumar Pathak and Mr. Hem Kumar, Advs. W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters + W.P.(C) 1707/2025, CM APPL. 8249/2025 UNION OF INDIA & ORS. .....Petitioners Through: Mr. Jagdish Chandra, CGSC with Mr. Sujeet Kumar Choudhary, Adv. with Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and Sgt Mritunjay Air Force (Legal Cell) versus EX MWO BIJAY KUMAR SAH (SER NO 628234 B) .....Respondent Through: Mr. Tatsat Shukla and Mr. Ram Jivan Dixit, Advs. + W.P.(C) 1724/2025, CM APPL. 8338/2025 UNION OF INDIA AND ORS .....Petitioners Through: Mr. Sushil Kumar Pandey, Sr. PC with Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and Sgt Mritunjay Air Force (Legal Cell) versus EX NC E RATAN LAL DAS .....Respondent Through: Mr. Pushpendra Kumar Dhaka, Mr. Abhishek Kumar, Mr. Sumit Sharma and Ms. Arti Kumar, Advs. + W.P.(C) 1725/2025, CM APPL. 8340/2025 UNION OF INDIA ORS .....Petitioners Through: Ms. Archana Sharma, Sr. PC with Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and Sgt Mritunjay Air Force (Legal Cell) versus W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters EX MWO SHYAM SINGH .....Respondent Through: Ms. Deepika Sheoran and Mr. Baljeet Singh, Advs. + W.P.(C) 1885/2025, CM APPL. 8958/2025 UNION OF INDIA & ORS. .....Petitioners Through: Mr. Vineet Dhanda, CGSC for UOI with Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and Sgt Mritunjay Air Force (Legal Cell) versus EX WO DUBEY AWDHASH NARAYAN SERVICE NO 662681 .....Respondent Through: Ms. Deepika Sheoran and Mr. Baljeet Singh, Advs. + W.P.(C) 1907/2025, CM APPL. 9008/2025 UNION OF INDIA & ORS. .....Petitioners Through: Mr. P.S. Singh, CGSC with Ms. Minakshi Singh, Ms. Annu Singh and Mr. Ashutosh Bharti, Advs. versus HFO RAMANAND SAINI .....Respondent Through: Mr. Manoj Kumar Gupta and Ms. Esha Mehrotra, Advs. + W.P.(C) 1986/2025, CM APPL. 9298/2025 UNION OF INDIA & ORS. .....Petitioners Through: Mr. Jivesh Kumar Tiwari, Sr. PC with Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and Sgt Mritunjay Air Force (Legal Cell) versus W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters EX SGT ANIL KUMAR .....Respondent Through: + W.P.(C) 2011/2025, CM APPL. 9472/2025 UNION OF INDIA AND ORS .....Petitioners Through: Mr. Ravi Kant Srivastava, Sr. PC with Mr. Robert Laishram and Mr. Bhupender, Advs. with Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and Sgt Mritunjay Air Force (Legal Cell) versus JWO MADAN LAL KAUSHIK .....Respondent Through: Mr. Devendra Kumar, Mr. Raj Kumar and Mr. Brajesh Kumar, Advs. + W.P.(C) 2093/2025, CM APPL. 9805/2025 UNION OF INDIA & ORS. .....Petitioners Through: Mr. Raj Kumar, CGSC with Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and Sgt Mritunjay Air Force (Legal Cell) versus EX SGT SOMNATH PAL (S.NO. 776890-L) .....Respondent Through: Mr. Kritendra Tiwari, Adv. + W.P.(C) 2524/2025, CM APPL. 11925/2025 UNION OF INDIA & ORS. .....Petitioners Through: Ms. Suruchi Mittal, Sr. PC with Major Anish Muralidhar Army versus W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters EX SUB SHAMSHER SINGH .....Respondent Through: Mr. Devendra Kumar, Mr. Raj Kumar and Mr. Brajesh Kumar, Advs. + W.P.(C) 2732/2025, CM APPL. 13019/2025 UNION OF INDIA & ORS. .....Petitioners Through: Mr. Jitesh Vikram Srivastava, Sr. PC with Sgt Manish Kumar Singh and Sgt Mritunjay Air Force (Legal Cell) versus EX-SGT, AKHILESH KUMAR MISHRA (CLK/PA) .....Respondent Through: Mr. Praveen Kumar, Adv. CORAM: HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE C. HARI SHANKAR HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE OM PRAKASH SHUKLA % JUDGMENT (ORAL) 05.08.2025 C. HARI SHANKAR, J.

1. These writ petitions deal with the entitlement of the respondents to disability pension. The Union of India assails decisions of the Armed Forces Tribunal, whereby disability pension stands granted to the respondents.

2. These cases stand covered by as on date more than eighty judgments passed by this Bench as well as by a Coordinate Bench of this Court. They also stand covered by the judgment of the Supreme W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters Court in Dharamvir Singh v UOI1 as well as the recent decision of the Supreme Court in Vijender Singh v UOI2.

3. Against one of these decisions, which was rendered by us in UOI v Ex Sub Gawas Anil Madso3, an SLP has been preferred before the Supreme Court in which notice alone has been issued and no interim orders have been passed.

4. We are not informed that any SLP has been preferred against any of the other matters passed by this Bench or the Coordinate Bench.

5. Learned Counsel for the Union of India in all these matters fairly acknowledged that the controversy stands covered by the above decisions.

6. In its recent decision in Union Territory of Ladakh v Jammu & Kashmir National Conference4, the Supreme Court has deprecated the practice of hierarchically lower Courts including the High Courts keeping matters pending merely because some issue is pending before the Supreme Court. Even where the correctness of a judgment has been doubted by the Supreme Court, the decision in Jammu & Kashmir National Conference directs High Courts to implement the law as it stands and not to adjourn matters awaiting the outcome of the appeals in the Supreme Court. 1 (2013) 7 SCC 316 2 2025 SCC OnLIne SC 895 3 2025 SCC OnLine 2018 4 2023 SCC OnLine SC 1140 W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters

7. We have taken stock of this judgment in para 60 of the judgment in Gawas Anil Madso.

8. We, therefore, proceed to decide these writ petitions on the basis of the decisions taken by this Court.

9. A tabular statement of the position as it emerges in all these writ petitions, including the decisions by which the individual writ petitions, may be provided thus: S No WP(C) No. Name of Respondent Disability

1. W.P.(C) Ex SGT Babu Lal Yadav Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (Left Eye) Years service 33 Reasoning given by the RMB Onset of disability on Oct 2012 at peace station Sirsa. It is associated with hypertension & hyper-viscosity syndrome leukaemia polycythaemia vera. The vision of No improved. stress and strain of service. Hence, NANA as per para 24( d) (ii) GMO 2008.

2. W.P.(C) Ex MWO HFO Kailash Chand 649518 i. Diabetes Type-II 37 ii.Primary Hypertension Onset in peace and served in peace as per Paras 26 and 43 2008. of GMO Hence, NANA W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters

3. W.P.(C) HFO Retd. Hradyesh Kumar Varshney i. Diabetes Type-II 37 ii.Primary Hypertension iii. Coronary Artery Disease

4. W.P.(C) Ex WO Sadananda Rautaray 633050 R Diabetes Type-II 36

5. W.P.(C) Ex SGT Mukesh Kumar Pandey Primary Hypertension 20

6. W.P.(C) 38 Ex MWO Vijender Singh Teotia Central Serous Chorioretinop -athy Right Eye Life Style Disease, Onset of disability white in peace. No delay in diagnosis/ treatment of indl. No connection HAA/Cl Ops/Fd area as per Para 26 and 43 of Ch VI of GMO 2008 and charter of duties dt. 22 January 2015. Life Style Disease, onset on May 2010 area. No delay in diagnosis/treatment of individual. No connection-HAA/ CIOps /Fd Area as per Para 26 of Ch VI of GMO 2008. Onset of disease in peace area at New Delhi. No• history infection, service-related trauma/close association stress of Fd/HAA/ ClOps service. Hence NANA as per para 43 of GMO 2008. Disease-progressed without any link to service conditions/ stress evidence of delay or adverse factors, is deemed NANA as per para 24(d)(i) W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters

7. W.P.(C) HFL Narayanasa Nammalwar (Retd.) Primary Hypertension 37

8. W.P.(C) SGT Pinaki Choudhary (Retd.) Primary Hypertension 23

9. W.P.(C) EX MWO HFL Amrit Lal Sekhri ECG Abnormality (LBBB)

10. W.P.(C) GP Capt. Vinay Sareen i.Diabetes Mellitus Type II 39 33 ii.Primary Hypertension iii.Dyslipidae -mia

11. W.P.(C) EX WO Surendra Kumar Singh Primary Hypertension 37 of GMO 2008. An idiopathic and disease lifestyle station and served thereafter in peace station. Life style disease. Onset on February 2016 in peace area. No connection with- HAA/ ClOps/Fd area as per Para 43 of Ch VI of GMO 2008. Neither attributable to nor aggravated by Mil service as per Para 20 of GMO 2008 Disease (i) and (ii) Onset disorder. area. No delay in diagnosis/treatment of individual. No connection with- HAA/ClOps/Fd area as per Para 26 and 43 of Ch VI of GMO 2008. Life style disorder. Onset of disability peace-area (Allahabad). No connection with- HAA/ClOps/Fd area. No delay in W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters

12. W.P.(C) EX MWO Bijay Kumar Sah CAD AWMI 37

13. W.P.(C) EX NC E Ratan Lal Das i.Diabetes Mellitus Type II 29 ii.Primary Hypertension

14. W.P.(C) EX MWO Shyam Singh Primary Hypertension 37

15. W.P.(C) EX WO Dubey Awdhash i.Diabetes Mellitus Type II 37 diagnosis and there was no stress/strain of service Hence, NANA as per Para 43 of Ch VI of GMO 2008. No service related trauma/stress delay in diagnosis or treatment. The condition is held neither attributable to nor aggravated by service as per Para 47 of Chapter VI of GMO 2008 and Charter Duties dated 16 January 2014. Disease (i) and (ii) Onset disorder. area. No delay in diagnosis/treatment of individual. No connection with- HAA/ClOps/Fd area as per Para 26 and 43 of Ch VI of GMO 2008. Life style disease. Onset of disability in peace area. No connection with- HAA/ClOps/Fd area as per Para 43 of Ch VI of GMO 2008. Life Style Disease, onset on February 2016 of in peace W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters Narayan ii.Primary Hypertension

16. W.P.(C) HFO Ramanand Saini 37 i.Pulmonary Thrombo Embolism Pulmonary Hypertension ii.Primary Hypertension

17. W.P.(C) EX SGT Anil Kumar CAD ASMI 20

18. W.P.(C) JWO Madan Lal Kaushik Primary Hypertension 37

19. W.P.(C) EX SGT Somnath Pal Primary Hypertension 20

20. W.P.(C) EX Sub Shamsheer Singh Primary Hypertension 30 area. No close time connection with- HAA/ClOps/Fd area as per Paras 26 and 43 of Ch VI of GMO 2008. Onset on Oct 2009 while posted Peace area. An idiopathic disorder and no delay diagnosis. There is association with stress or strain of service. Hence NANA. 13 Onset November 2003 in peace area. No service related trauma/stress delay in diagnosis or treatment. The condition is held neither attributable to nor aggravated by service. Aggravation conceded when the onset occurs while serving in Fd/CI Ops/HAA. Hence, NANA as per Para 43 of GMO 2008. Onset in peace area remains peace area, hence NANA vide Para 43 of GMO 2008. Neither attributable to nor aggravated by Mil service as W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters

21. W.P.(C) EX SGT Akhilesh Kumar Mishra 19 Primary Hypertension per Para 43 of GMO 2008 Life style disease. Onset of disability in peace area. No connection with- HAA/ClOps/Fd area as per Para 43 of Ch VI of GMO 2008.

10. These appeals stand covered, in identical circumstances, by several decisions rendered by this Court, in which disability pension was denied on identical grounds. Some of the representative decisions may be cited thus: (i) Primary Hypertension (a) UOI v Rajveender Singh Mallhi5 (b) UOI v Ravish Babu6 (c) UOI v SGT Harvinder Singh Negi7 (d) UOI v Koutharapu Srinivasa8 (e) UOI v Jyoti Kumar Singh9 (f) UOI v Lt Col V Raveendran Kutty10 (ii) Diabetes Mellitus Type II (a) UOI v Vijay Kumar11 5 2025 SCC OnLine Del 3956 6 2025 SCC OnLine Del 3957 7 2025 SCC OnLine Del 4806 8 2025 SCC OnLine Del 4292 9 2025 SCC OnLine Del 4222 10 2025 SCC OnLine Del 3004 11 2025 SCC OnLine Del 3969 W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters (b) UOI v Ashok Kumar Pandey12 (c) UOI v Sayan Panja13 (d) UOI v Rajesh Kumar14 (e) UOI v GP Capt. Santosh Kumar15 (f) UOI v EX SGT Kunal Palit16 (iii) Coronary Artery Disease (a) UOI v EX JWO Dharmendra Prasad17 (b) UOI v MWO Jahangeer Alam18 (c) UOI v EX JWO Vinay Rathee19 (d) UOI V EX JWO SK Srivastava20 (iv) Primary Hypertension with Retinopathy UOI v EX WO Hira Lal Prasad21 (v) Diabetes Mellitus Type II and Primary Hypertension (a) UOI v Mani Lal Prasad22 (b) UOI v HFO MWO Raj Bhanu Singh23 12 2025 SCC OnLine Del 2908 13 2025 SCC OnLine Del 2910 14 WP C 9470/2025 dt. 10 July 2025 15 2025 SCC OnLine Del 3218 16 2025 SCC OnLine Del 4961 17 2025 SCC OnLine Del 2549 18 2025 SCC OnLine Del 2434 19 2025 SCC OnLine Del 3583 20 2025 SCC OnLine Del 4909 21 2025 SCC OnLine Del 2689 22 2025 SCC OnLine Del 3958 23 2025 SCC OnLine Del 3223 W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters (c) UOI v CDR Sudesh Kumar Sharma24 (d) UOI v GP Capt Girish Kumar Johri (Retd)25

11. The reasons for our disinclination to interfere with the decision of the Tribunal are forthcoming in the individual judgements passed by us, and we do not deem it necessary to burden this order by a reiteration thereof. Suffice it to state that learned Counsel for the UOI, in these petitions, too, was unable to urge that these cases are not covered by our earlier decisions. In fact, as already noted, they fairly conceded that the issues stood covered.

12. Following the aforesaid, all these writ petitions are dismissed. The petitioners are directed to implement the orders passed by the Tribunal within a period of eight weeks from today. C. HARI SHANKAR, J. OM PRAKASH SHUKLA, J. AUGUST 5, 2025/aky 24 2025 SCC OnLine Del 4840 25 2025 SCC OnLine Del 4960 W.P.(C) 13731/2024 and connected matters