'Core Issue, Will First Hear Challenge To Agnipath Scheme': Delhi High Court, Lists Pleas For Hearing On Dec 12

Calling it the "core issue" for adjudication, the Delhi High Court on Friday said that it will first hear the pleas challenging Centre's Agnipath Scheme on December 12 and then proceed to hear other pleas seeking resumption and enrolment as per previous recruitment advertisements in defence services.

A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati appearing for Centre to segregate the matters and submit a chart for convenience of the court.

"Agniveer is the main matter…..core issue is the agniveer matter," the court said, adding that decision on the scheme will have a bearing on pleas concerning recruitment in the forces.

"We will keep these matters on December 12 at 2:30 PM. What we will do is, whether we will finish our list or not, we will hear this case."

As Advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing for one of the petitioners requested the court to hear the matter on a day to day basis, the bench said that it will consider the said request.

The court also said that the parties will be free to file additional reply or rejoinder, if any, before the next date of hearing.

The apex court had transferred various writ petitions filed before it challenging the Agnipath recruitment scheme to the High Court, where similar petitions were already pending.

Seeking dismissal of the petitions, the Centre last month told court that defending India's territory, which faces external and internal threats, requires an agile, youthful and technologically sound armed forces.

The Centre had also said that on analysis of the existing structure of the below 'officer' rank divisions of the armed forces, it was found that the average age of the Indian Armed Forces personnel was 32 years.

This was in stark contrast with the global position of armies which showed that the average age of Armed Forces across the world was 26 years, according to the government.

It had further said that the objective of the scheme is to have a young combat force which is physically and mentally capable of taking the new challenges anticipated by experts.