Court to hear pleas challenging ‘Agnipath’ scheme on 18 November

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday listed for hearing on 18thNovember a bunch of pleas challenging the Centre’s “Agnipath” scheme while granting time to the petitioners to file rejoinders.
The High Court on Wednesday was informed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the Centre had filed a consolidated reply copy in the matters recently. The bench noted the submissions of counsel who appeared for several petitioners, praying for time to file rejoinders in the matters, and fixed the matter for hearing on 18th November , 2022.
The central government, through its reply, has informed the Delhi High Court that no prejudice has been caused to any of the candidates who had participated in the earlier recruitment process. The Centre has filed a consolidated reply copy in a batch of petitions challenging the Agnipath scheme regarding recruitment in the armed forces. The affidavit filed stated that it is well settled that the Central Government is duly empowered and competent enough to change the mode and method of recruitment in government service, taking into account the exigencies of the military requirements.
The affidavit stated that “recruitment in the ‘armed forces’ stands on a completely different footing vis-a-vis employment in public offices, as it constitutes an essential sovereign function, which directly relates to the maintenance of national security.”
Therefore, the Central Government, in the exercise of its sovereign power and to effectively and efficiently safeguard the security and integrity of the country, is duly empowered to change the policy providing the mode and methods/service conditions of the people who are to be employed in the armed forces”.
The Delhi High Court on the last date of the hearing had asked the Centre Government through concerned ministries to file a consolidated response in a batch of petitions challenging the Agnipath scheme in regards to the recruitment of armed forces. The bench of Justice Satish Chander Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad is examining the bunch of petitions.
On 19th July , the Supreme Court transferred various pleas related to the Agnipath scheme to the Delhi High Court. The Supreme Court also clarified that as regards to other similar petitions challenging Agnipath pending in other various High Courts, the concerned HCs should either give an option to the petitioners to either have their petitions transferred to the Delhi HC or to keep their petitions pending with liberty to intervene in Delhi High Court.