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Agneepath: Plea in Supreme Court against India's military hiring scheme terms it 'illegal'

Agneepath: Plea in Supreme Court against India's military hiring scheme terms it 'illegal'

Indian Supreme Court pauses sedition law

A fresh Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in India's Supreme Court contesting the 'Agneepath' defence force recruitment system, claiming it is "illegal and unconstitutional." Advocate Manohar Lal Sharma filed the petition to have the Centre's notification for the Agneepath initiative quashed.

"In the interest of justice, quash the notification/press note dated June 14, 2022, issued by the Defense Ministry as illegal, unconstitutional, and void ab-initio and ultra vires to the Indian constitution," the PIL stated.

Several states have seen protests opposing the plan. In 2022, the government raised the upper age limit for enlistment to 23 years.

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It said that on June 14, 2022, the Centre tinkered with the century-old Army selection process and imposed the scheme for recruitment in all three Armed Forces divisions, in violation of constitutional norms, without parliamentary approval and without any gazette notification. The petition also mentioned the nationwide protests against the proposal.

Also read |Agnipath row: Why are youngsters protesting against India's controversial military recruitment scheme?

On Saturday, a lawyer filed a petition asking the court to order the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the violent protests against the Agneepath programme and the damage to public property, including railways.

Watch |Gravitas: Indian youth protest Agnipath recruitment scheme

The petition also requested that an expert committee be established under the head of a former Supreme Court judge to investigate the Agneepath initiative and its impact on national security and the nation's Army.

The plea, filed by counsel Vishal Tiwari, sought to draw the Court's notice to the country's dire situation as a result of the Centre's Agneepath scheme, which was established through the Ministry of Defence.

(With inputs from agencies)

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