By PTI
NEW DELHI: A plea was filed within the Supreme Court on Monday in opposition to the Centre’s Agnipath scheme alleging that the federal government has quashed the century-old choice course of for the Armed forces which is opposite to the constitutional provisions and with out having parliamentary approval.
The Agnipath scheme, introduced on June 14, supplies for the recruitment of youths between the age bracket of 17-and-a-half-years to 21 for less than 4 years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 extra years.
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Protests have erupted in a number of states in opposition to the scheme. Later, the federal government prolonged the higher age restrict to 23 years for recruitment in 2022. The plea, filed within the apex court docket by advocate ML Sharma, has sought to quash the June 14 notification/press observe claiming it to be unlawful and unconstitutional.
It alleged that on June 14, 2022, opposite to the constitutional provisions and with out having approval in parliament and with none gazette notification, the Centre tinkered with the century-old Army choice course of and imposed the scheme for recruitment in all three Armed forces divisions. The plea additionally referred to the protest everywhere in the nation in opposition to the scheme.
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Last week, a separate petition was filed within the prime court docket searching for a route to arrange a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the harm to public properties together with that of Railways, and violent protests in opposition to the Centre’s Agnipath scheme.
The plea has additionally sought instructions to the Centre and Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Haryana, and Rajasthan governments to submit a standing report on the violent protests. It has sought a route to arrange an skilled committee underneath the chairmanship of a retired apex court docket choose to look at the scheme and its impression on nationwide safety and Army.
