New Delhi: A plea challenging the current system of awarding gallantry medals to armed forces personnel was withdrawn unconditionally from the Delhi High Court on Wednesday. The petitioner decided to withdraw after the bench indicated it would dismiss the petition with a heavy cost.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D.N.Patel and Jyoti Singh asked the petitioner's counsel to give examples of persons who were given the award without deserving it and said it is very easy to make allegations.
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The petition, which has been filed by the retired defence personnel, alleged that there have been instances where acts of gallantry worthy of high recognition have been ignored by the system. Advocate S.M Vivekanandh, appearing for the petitioner, argued that the existing mechanism has led to "serious cases of injustice being meted out to deserving officers".
The gallantry awards are generally given for conspicuous acts of valour done by armed forces personnel during peacetime or wartime. All these gallantry medals are regulated vide various notifications issued by the Office of the President of India from time to time, as to its form, selection criteria and benefits that will be given to the awardees.
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The plea said, "The existing mechanism that considers each act of bravery by armed forces personnel individually for the award of a gallantry medal is undefined and opaque in its functioning. Coupled with the absence of any mechanism for review of a wrong decision, it has led to serious cases of injustice being meted out to deserving personnel of the armed forces."
(PTI)
