Stress of military service can cause mood disorders even in peace areas, rules AFT

The Armed Forces Tribunal has held that the stress and strain of military service even in peace stations can result in mood swings and depressive attitude and has ruled that ‘mood disorders’ developed subsequent to enrolment in the Army are attributable to military service, entitling an individual suffering from such psychiatric disorders to disability benefits.

A soldier who was recruited into the Brigade of the Guards in 2003 was discharged in 2023 after being placed in low medical category. A medical board held at Military Hospital, Jalandhar, had assessed the quantum of his disability of hyperthyroidism and persistent mood disorder at 46 per cent for life, but held them to be neither attributable to nor aggravated by military service.

His claim for grant of disability pension was rejected by the authorities in August 2023 on the grounds that the onset of disability in November 2018 was while being posted in a peace location at Jodhpur. An appeal thereof was also turned down in February 2024.

“We are of the opinion that this reasoning of the medical board for denying disability element of disability pension to the soldier is cryptic, not convincing and doesn’t reflect the complete truth on the matter. Modified field/peace stations have their own pressure of rigorous military training and associated stress and strain of military service,” the Tribunal’s Bench, comprising Justice Anil Kumar and Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain, ruled in their November 12 order.

The Bench also observed that at the time of enrolment, the soldier had been found to be physically and mentally fit and that his disabilities had started after more than 15 years of Army service.