By IANS,
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Thursday ordered the army to reinstate 26,706 personnel and criticised the Indian Army chief, who sacked them on medical grounds last year, for not abiding by the rules.
A division bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M.C. Garg asked the army to reinstate the sacked personnel within a month, saying all those reinstated can join their respective departments and units.
It ruled that they would also be entitled to pending wages and benefits.
The bench criticised the army chief for not referring to the army constitution and not forming a board to review the lay-offs.
On April 12, 2007, the army chief had ordered the discharge of 26,706 personnel on medical grounds like hypertension.
The court ruling came on a petition by Naib Subedar Vijay Kumar Dubedi through his counsel Siddharth Shankar Ray and Abhik Kumar.
Dubedi had alleged that the army had discharged him and others in violation of the rules and regulations for the medical services of the armed forces.