Dear friends,
I wish to inform you that recently the ARMED FORCES TRIBUNAL, Principal Bench at New Delhi has rendered a favourable judgment in the matter of extension of retirement age of Colonels of the Indian Army, at par with that of Gp Captain and Captains of the other two sister services. My plea was to enhance the retirement age of Colonels from 54 to 57 years. I was the first person to file this matter in the AFT way back in 2015 just prior to my retirement (case No 599/2015). Other officers filed similar cases subsequently.
A copy of the judgment has just now been made available on the website and I have gone through the entire contents of the said judgment. Judges have passed a very strong and favourable judgment, directing Govt of India to consider the case of the applicants and formulate a policy which shall set right the anomaly. The judgment can be accessed here. http://aftdelhi.nic.in/index.
The judgment also grants consequential benefits to the applicants (alone). In simple terms, it means that post formulation and implementation of the revised policy relating to superannuation ages of Cols, the Cols who were applicants in this case will be given continuity in service, seniority and all pay and allowances as admissible.
Now, those who have retired in the last few years and those who are at the brink of retiring, should also be made aware so that the benefits flowing out of the above judgment can be availed by all. To avail the benefits of extension of retirement age, and the consequential benefits viz. continuity in service, pay and allowances, seniority, and refixation of pension in case of already retired officers, they should also approach the AFT, New Delhi by filing their respective cases seeking same relief as had been asked by the original batch of applicants who now stand vindicated and are bound to get their rightful due from the MoD very soon. It is important that this exercise be completed ASAP preferably within the next few weeks as delay will only weaken and hamper your chances of getting same relief and benefits from the AFT. Interested officers may contact my lawyer Shri Harshvardhan at +91- 9140870945.
Regards,
Col Nisheeth Singhal Retd
+91-7045533967