The Delhi High Court has dismissed a challenge by the Union of India against an order granting disability pension to a retired Indian Air Force officer, holding that medical boards cannot deny pension benefits through vague conclusions. The court said clear reasons are mandatory, especially when the livelihood of armed forces personnel is at stake.
Background of the Case
The case arose from a writ petition filed by the Union of India against a 2023 order of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT), Principal Bench, New Delhi. The Tribunal had partly allowed the plea of 627281 Ex MWO (HFO) Tejpal Singh, directing the grant of disability pension for Primary Hypertension, assessed at 30 percent for life and broad-banded to 50 percent in line with Supreme Court rulings.
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Tejpal Singh joined the Indian Air Force in October 1981 and served for over 37 years before being discharged in March 2019. It was undisputed that he was medically fit at the time of his enrolment.
Medical Board’s Stand
At the time of his release, the Medical Board assessed him with Primary Hypertension and another cardiac condition. However, the Board marked the hypertension as “not attributable to or aggravated by military service”, describing it as a lifestyle-related condition.
Based on this opinion, pension authorities denied him the disability element of pension, leading him to approach the Armed Forces Tribunal.
Tribunal’s Findings
The Tribunal noted that the Medical Board had failed to explain why the disease was considered unrelated to service. It relied on settled law that soldiers are presumed to be in sound health at the time of entry unless proven otherwise.
Allowing the application, the Tribunal directed the authorities to issue a corrected pension payment order and release arrears within three months, failing which interest would apply.
Union of India’s Challenge
Before the Delhi High Court, the Union of India argued that under the Entitlement Rules for Casualty Pensionary Awards, 2008, the presumption of service connection no longer applied automatically. It contended that the disease had developed in a peace area and was neither caused nor worsened by service conditions.
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Court’s Observations
A Division Bench of Justice V. Kameswar Rao and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora rejected this argument. The court relied on recent Delhi High Court and Supreme Court rulings, which consistently hold that the burden lies on the authorities, not the soldier.
“The Medical Board is under a clear obligation to give cogent reasons while denying disability pension,” the bench observed, noting that a mere label of “lifestyle disorder” is not enough.
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The judges further pointed out that lifestyle varies from person to person and cannot be used as a blanket justification without examining individual service conditions and medical history.
Final Decision
Finding no error in the Tribunal’s reasoning, the High Court held that the denial of disability pension was unjustified. The court dismissed the Union of India’s petition, affirming the grant of disability pension to the retired Air Force officer.
With this, the litigation came to an end, reinforcing once again that pension rules meant for soldiers must be applied with fairness and transparency.
Case Title: Union of India vs. 627281 Ex MWO (HFO) Tejpal Singh
Case Number: W.P.(C) 749/2026
Date of Decision: 19 January 2026
