New Delhi: There has been a sharp rise in the number of court cases filed by Army personnel in various High Courts and the Supreme Court against various authorities.
The number stood at 8,000 as of this year, Defence Minister AK Antony told Lok Sabha in a in a written reply to Anandrao V Adsul.
The Judge Advocate General's Department in the Army is responsible for attending to the court cases, especially in the high courts and Supreme Court.
The Army has established 20 legal cells coterminous with major high courts for this purpose, the Defence Minister said.
He said these cells act as nodal agencies in coordinating various aspects of court cases viz -- filling of counter-affidavits, vacation of stay applications, miscellaneous petitions etc.
Besides, for pension-related matters, pension adalats are held six times a year. Elaborate instructions have also been issued by the Army for attending to court cases from the stage of filing suits/petitions, counter-affidavits, appeals etc and other aspects of litigation.
The monitoring of court cases is also done through periodic reports and returns. Review meetings at appropriate levels are also held on need basis, Antony said, adding that the government has decided to set up an Armed Forces Tribunal and a Bill in this regard has been introduced in the Parliament.
This is expected to reduce the burden of courts significantly, he added.
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