Accident during training exercise is ‘Battle Casualty’ : High Court

In a significant decision, the Hon’ble Punjab & Haryana High Court has held that an accident taking place during battle inoculation or a training exercise should be declared as a battle casualty. Smt Manit Kaur lost her husband in a training exercise who died while hooking his gun with a Kraz Truck. He got crushed between the truck and the gun. Battle casualty status and subsequent liberalized family pension was however refused to Manjit Kaur on the ground that the accident did not involve ‘live ammunition’. The Hon’ble High Court has held that the contention of the Ministry of Defence was misconceived in this regard and the rules as applicable then did not have any stipulation of ‘live ammunition’ and as such Smt Manjit Kaur was entitled to the benefit of liberalized family pension by considering her husband’s death as a ‘battle casualty’.