Quick Summary: The Delhi High Court sided with Ex-Sergeant Sandip Goyal, granting him a disability pension and rejecting the Union of India's challenge. The court followed previous similar decisions, emphasizing the consistency of the Armed Forces Tribunal's rulings.
On December 12, 2025, the Delhi High Court, with Judges C. Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla in charge, reviewed a request from the Union of India. They were challenging a decision from the Armed Forces Tribunal that granted a disability pension to Ex-Sergeant Sandip Goyal.
The Armed Forces Tribunal had previously decided in favor of Sandip Goyal, granting him a disability pension. The decision was based on the findings of the Release Medical Board (RMB), which stated:
“An idiopathic disorder/life style related disorder. Onset Sep 2004 while posted in peace... No close time association with stress/strain of Fd/HAA/CIOPS service.”
This means the disorder started in 2004 and wasn't linked to his military service stress, according to the RMB.
The court mentioned similar past cases like Union of India v. Ex. SGT Manoj K L Retd, Union of India v. Rajveender Singh Mallhi, and Union of India v. Koutharapu Srinivasa. In all these cases, the court had supported the Armed Forces Tribunal's decisions. None of these were overturned by the Supreme Court, which set a strong example.
The judges decided to reject the Union of India's request, following the consistent pattern of similar cases. They ordered that the Tribunal's decision be followed within 12 weeks.
C. HARI SHANKAR, J
OM PRAKASH SHUKLA, J
DECEMBER 12, 2025
The court's decision ensures that past rulings on military pensions are respected and consistently applied.
