The Supreme Court of India has transferred all petitions against the recently launched Agnipath welfare recruitment scheme to the Delhi high court, stating that there are a number of similar petitions that are already pending.
The Supreme Court also stated that other high courts where petitions against the Agnipath scheme are pending should either transfer them to the Delhi high court or keep their petitions pending with the liberty of the petitioner to intervene in the Delhi high court.
Background of Agnipath Scheme
On June 13, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government announced the Agnipath Scheme. The Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated it along with the chiefs of all three defence forces – General Manoj Mukund Naravane (Indian Army), Admiral Karambir Singh (Indian Navy), and Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh (Indian Air Force).
According to the Central government, under the new scheme around 45,000 – 50,000 young men will be recruited every year. The ones selected will be known as ‘Agniveers’.
Agniveers will have a tenure of just four years. They will undergo intense training in the first six months and then be recruited into the chosen defence sector – army, navy, or airforce – and will serve the country for the next three and a half years.
The salary provided at the beginning will be Rs 30,000/- which will scale up to Rs 40,000/- at the end of the fourth year.
Once the four years are over, only 25% of Agniveers will be retained and given permanent employment in the defence for the next 15 years. The remaining 75% will be sent back to civil society.
Soon after the announcement, the country plunged into protests in many states such as Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi.
On June 16, 17several young Army aspirants clashed with police and destroyed public property by burning trains, police vehicles etc.
Angry aspirants set fire to at least 20 bogies of the New Delhi-Bhagalpur Vikramshila Express and New Delhi-Darbhanga Bihar Sampark Kranti Express at Lakhisarai and Samastipur stations and blocked highways in the state.
A youth from Telangana was shot dead by the Railway police at the Secunderabad Railway Station. Two policemen were also injured.
Many opposition political parties condemned the new scheme attacking the Centre for playing with the future of the youth in the country.
The Indian National Congress on June 27 held nationwide Satyagraha in more than 3,500 Assembly headquarters across the country against the Agnipath scheme.
Addressing a press conference, senior party leader Mohan Prakash said, “The Indian National Congress stands with the youth in their demand for an immediate rollback of the Agnipath scheme. The BJP government should not weaken national security by implementing it. The Government should provide security rather than insecurity to the lakhs of men and women who aspire to serve the nation by joining the Armed Forces. The government has itself admitted to a shocking 1,25,000 non-commissioned vacancies in armed forces.”
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Varun Gandhi said if those recruited in the armed forces under this initiative are not eligible for a pension, then why should public representatives get this post-retirement benefit.
Agreeing with the Union Government’s decision, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on June 21, in an interview with ANI said in the future we are heading towards a scenario where there will be contactless wars against invisible enemies and the country needs a young fit and agile army.
“The whole war is undergoing a great change. We are going toward contactless wars and also going towards the war against the invisible enemy. Technology is taking over at a rapid pace. If we have to prepare for tomorrow, then we have to change,” Doval said
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