Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed pleas challenging the Agnipath scheme. Taking note of the Centre’s Agnipath scheme, the court said that there is no reason to interfere with the scheme introduced by the centre in the national interest. The High Court further asserted that the Agnipath scheme was launched to ensure the armed forces are better equipped.
Agnipath Scheme was unveiled on June 14, 2022
The court had reserved its verdict on the batch of pleas on December 15 last year. The Agnipath scheme, unveiled on June 14, 2022, lays out rules for the recruitment of youth in the armed forces.
What is Agnipath Scheme?
The Agnipath scheme lays out rules for the recruitment of youths in the armed forces. According to these rules, those between 17-and-a-half and 21 years of age are eligible to apply and they would be inducted for a four-year tenure. The scheme allows 25 per cent of them to be granted regular service subsequently. After the scheme was unveiled, protests erupted in several states against the scheme.
Protests erupted in several states
Later, the government extended the upper age limit to 23 years for recruitment in 2022. After the scheme was unveiled, protests erupted in several states against the scheme.
Scheme was launched to make national security more ‘robust’
Agnipath scheme was introduced in the exercise of its sovereign function to make national security and defence more “robust, “impenetrable” and “abreast with changing military requirements”.
(with inputs from PTI)