Disability suffered on an Operation Rakshak posting earns war injury pension, Supreme Court rules

29 October 2026

A soldier posted to a counter insurgency operation became disabled while on duty, and he asked for war injury pension rather than the ordinary disability pension.
The Union Government resisted, arguing that the injury did not arise in a war and so the higher rate was not available.
The Supreme Court rejected that reading. Service in a notified operation of this kind is treated as service in a war like situation.
Once the disability is attributable to that posting, the soldier falls within the war injury category and gets the higher pension.
The Centre's appeal was dismissed and the soldier's entitlement was confirmed.
The practical difference matters, because war injury pension is paid at a higher rate than disability pension for the same degree of disablement.
Operation Rakshak is the Indian Army's long running counter insurgency operation in Jammu and Kashmir.