The Armed Forces Tribunal has directed the government to increase the salary of Air Vice-Marshal of the Indian Air Force (IAF). In an important decision, he said that the salaries of Major General-rank officers in the defense services should be increased because their salary is less than that of juniors. Air Vice Marshal P Subhash Babu reached the Armed Forces Tribunal through Advocate Ankur Chhibber against the discrepancy that came after the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission.
The tribunal said that it has been directed to pay the salary of the applicant from 1 July 2017. Respondents have also been directed to give pension and other consequential benefits to the applicant from 1 July 2020. The above instructions will be followed within a period of three months from the date of receipt of a copy of this order.
Chhibber said that after the 6th Pay Commission it was decided that military service pay would be payable only up to the rank of Brigadier and not beyond it. Chhibber said that the decision taken by the AFT will help in resolving the long-pending complaints of two-star Armed Forces officers. The Defense Ministry had earlier rejected the statutory complaint filed by the AVM against salary inequality.
