'No Constitutional Infirmity': SC Upholds Govt's One Rank One Pension Policy

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court said that the decision by the government was not arbitrary.

A three-judge bench headed by Justices DY Chandrachud, Vikram Nath, and Surya Kant said that the decision taken by the government was not arbitrary.

(Photo: IANS) 

The Supreme Court said on Wednesday, 16 March, that there was no constitutional infirmity in the central government's One Rank One Pension (OROP) policy.

The apex court disposed of the plea filed by the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement, which was seeking the implementation of the policy in the armed forces with an annual revision. The plea had questioned the Centre's decision of a periodic review every five years in this regard.

A three-judge bench headed by Justices DY Chandrachud, Vikram Nath, and Surya Kant said that the decision by the government was not arbitrary, ANI reported.

"We find no constitutional infirmity in the OROP principle adopted," the bench stated in its judgement.

Govt's Affidavit to the Court

The government had filed an affidavit in response to the Court's query while it was hearing the plea submitted by the Ex-Servicemen Movement.

In the affidavit, the government had stated that while framing the OROP policy, it had not discriminated among defence personnel who had the same rank.

It added that the plea regarding the OROP policy in the Supreme Court defeated one of the policy's core values which had to do with not only the same rank, but also the same length of service.

"The petitioners are seeking an OROP on merely same rank overlooking the same length of service," the government had stated in the affidavit.

(With inputs from ANI.)