Quick Summary: Pradeep, who used to work as a constable in the CISF, won his case to get a disability pension after showing that his mental health issues were made worse by his job.
Pradeep started working for the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as a constable on June 19, 2000. But in 2015, he began to have mental health problems, including schizophrenia. His lawyers argued that the stress from his job made his condition worse, which led to him leaving the job on June 17, 2023.
After leaving the job due to his health, Pradeep was given a basic pension for being unable to work. However, he thought he deserved a disability pension instead. His lawyer, Ms. Saahila Lamba, showed reports from doctors in March and November 2021. These reports suggested that even though his problems might have started because of personal issues, his job made them worse.
"May have been aggravated by stress and strain of service conditions."
The Union of India, represented by Ms. Radhika Bishwajit Dubey, argued that Pradeep’s mental health issues started because of personal problems at home, especially with his wife. They said this should affect whether he gets a disability pension.
Judges C. Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla decided in favor of Pradeep. They pointed out that a disability pension should be given if a job makes a health condition worse, not just if it causes it. The court mentioned past decisions to back up this idea, dismissing the argument that being posted in peaceful areas means there’s no stress from the job.
The court ordered the Union of India to pay Pradeep the difference between the basic pension he was getting and the disability pension from the time he left his job. They have 12 weeks to do this, making sure Pradeep gets the benefits he deserves from now on.
