3rd plea challenging scheme filed in Supreme Court, Centre files a caveat

A third petition has been filed in the Supreme Court, challenging the new Agnipath recruitment scheme for the armed forces. Amidst protests in many parts of the country, now this matter has reached the apex court and all eyes are on it. Three petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court so far, demanding to stop the implementation of the Agnipath scheme. 

On the other hand, by filing a caveat in the Supreme Court on behalf of the Central Government, it has been said that before taking any decision, the side of the Centre should also be heard. On Monday, Advocate Harsh Ajay Singh also gave a petition and requested the Supreme Court to intervene in this matter. 

Read | Agnipath scheme: Many options available for Agniveers after 4 years, here’s a list

Advocate Harsh said in his writ petition that under the Agnipath scheme, youth are being recruited in the army for 4 years, after that only 25% of the Agniveers will be made permanent. He argued that Agniveers will be neither professionally nor personally mature enough to maintain self-discipline when they complete four-years and they could go astray.

The first two petitions were filed by Advocates Vishal Tiwari and Manohar Lal Sharma. Earlier, Advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, in his petition challenging the Agnipath scheme, had alleged that the government had changed the decades-old policy of army recruitment without the permission of the Parliament, which was against the constitutional provisions. 

According to PTI, he has said that there is a permanent commission in the army for officers and they can retire at the age of 60 years. Those who join the army under the Short Service Commission (SSC) have the option of serving for 10-14 years.

On the contrary, the government has now come up with the Agnipath scheme to keep the youth on contract basis. The youth are finding their future bleak after this scheme. Demonstrations are taking place everywhere. In such a situation, the order and notification of June 14 should be declared as unconstitutional.

On June 18, Advocate Vishal Tiwari had filed a public interest litigation requesting for a SIT probe into the Agnipath violence case and also demanded the formation of an expert committee to examine it.