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2006 Supreme(All) 300

[2006(2) ADJ 344 (All)]
ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT
BEFORE : SABHAJEET YADAV, J.
NISHAN SINGH .......Petitioner
Versus
UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS ......Respondents
(Civil Misc. Writ Petition No. 20205 of 1994,
decided on 31st January, 2006)

Advocates:
Counsel :
G.D. Mukherji and S. Mukherji for the Petitioner; S.K. Rai, S.C. for the Respondents.

Headnote:Pension—Disability pension—Army Service—Rejection of claim, and also dismissal of appeal of petitioner, for disability pension—Petition against—Enrolled in Indian Army and allotted Signal Branch—He was sent on Form A.F.M.S.I.O. to Medical Hospital on suspected ailment of PARANOID State (I.C.D. No. 297)—And was boarded out, after down grading his medical category to “EEE” by Medical Board—In instant case, disease in question, will be deemed to have arisen, during Military service—Opinion of Medical Board that disability was not existing before entering into service—And that it was neither attributable to service conditions, nor it has been aggravated thereby, and remain so—And that disease was constitutional in origin, and hence, unrelated to service conditions was wholly erroneous, being contrary to Medical Authorities and Defence Ministry Instructions—However, Court cannot brush aside opinion of Medical Board, unless it was found contrary to Instructions, contained in Guide to Medical Officers, and/or otherwise found within well-accepted norms of judicial review—Moreover, like opinion of Experts, opinion of Medical Board, was also Expert opinion—And has “evidentiary value” of only “relevant evidence”—And does not furnish “conclusive proof" of facts stated therein—While petitioner was in imprisonment, on account of disciplinary action, taken against him, in connection of offence relating to Army Act, he was “on duty" for purpose of circular of entitlement Rules for Casualty Pensionary Awards, 1982 and Guide to Medical Officers (Military Pensions) 1980—Otherwise also, it cannot be held that while serving aforesaid sentence, he was out of employment of Military Service—Therefore, petitioner entitled for benefit of reasonable doubt, according to general rules of evidence—Therefore, impugned order liable to be quashed and set aside—Hence, respondents directed to grant and pay disability pension, admissible to petitioner, alongwith interest @ 9% p.a.—Therefore, petition allowed. [Guide to Medical Officer (Military Pensions), 1980—Paras 7(b) and 12—Army Act, 1950—Section 53].

        [Paras 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 28, 29 to 36]

       

JUDGMENT

Hon’ble Sabhajeet Yadav, J.—By this petition, the petitioner has challenged the order dated 16.4.1993 passed by Respondent No. 3 whereby the claim of the petitioner’s disability pension has been rejected and order dated 21.9.94 whereby the appeal of the petitioner filed against rejection of disability pension has been dismissed and further relief for mandamus was sought for directing the respondents to pay the disability pension to the petitioner.

2. The relief sought for in the writ petition rests on the allegation that the petitioner was enrolled in the Indian Army and allotted signal branch. While posted at 2. Field Trial Sub(Gp) Core of 56 A.P.O., he was sent on Form A.F.M.S.I.O. to Medical Hospital on a suspected ailment of PARANOID State (I.C.D. No. 297) and was boarded out after down grading his medical category to “EEE” by Medical Board on 6.2.1991.Thereafter, the petitioner submitted a disability pension claim to the Chief Controller of Defence Accounts (Pension) Allahabad through the Officer Incharge Signal Records which was rejected vide letter/order dated 16.4.1993 by Chief Controller of the Defence Accounts (Pension) with the remarks that the petitioner was suffering from Paranoid State during the service on which the claims is based : (a) is not attributable to Military Service: (b) does not fulfil the conditions namely that is existed before or arose during the Military Service and has been aggravated thereby. This was intimated to the petitioner vide letter dated 7.5.1993 by the Officer Incharge Signal Records (Respondent No. 2). The petitioner has challenged the aforesaid action of the respondent No. 3 as mechanical and arbitrary on the ground that he was enrolled in Army Service after a thorough medical examination but nothing abnormal was found against him so the Paranoid state from which he is suffering now arose during the Military Service and is fully attributable to the Military Service.

3. It is further stated that the Government of India, Ministry of Defence has published a Manual namely Guide to Medical Officers (Military Pension) 1980.The Chapter VI of which deals with the clinical aspect of certain diseases. Para -35 of the said chapter deals with mental (Psychiatric) Dis-order. The paranoid state of which the petitioner alleged to be suffering comes under the aforesaid heading. The claims for same usually arises in the circumstances namely: (a) Prolonged field service; (b) Participation in war like front like operations; (c) Intensive Military training with troops; (d) service in high attitude area; (e) Long patrolling duties in mountains and hazardous area but the aforesaid list is not exhaustive rather illustrative in nature and in each and every case careful consideration should be given as to whether the individual in question would or would not have been subjected to similar stress if he had not joined the service. While considering the claim in such circumstances, the stress factor, the genetic factor and time factor must be considered. Where the stress factor predominates and breakdown occurs within at most six months the entitlement of attributability may be appropriate, where genetic factor is predominant, the possibility of aggravation must be considered.

4. It is further stated that the petitioner fell a victim to paranoid state due to stress and strain of the Military Service and it is fully attributable to the Military Service. It is further stated that evidentiary value is attached to the records of the members condition at the time of entry into service and such records therefore has to be accepted unless any different and contrary conclusion has been reached due to inaccuracy of records in a particular case or otherwise. Accordingly if the disease leading to the members’ invalidation out of service was not noted in the medical report at the time of entry into service, the inference would be that the disease arose during the course of Military Service. It is further stated that


















































































































































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