Shashwati Chowdhury
Published on: June 19, 2022 at 15:05 IST
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) case has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to enquire into the widespread protests against the Centre’s “Agnipath” recruitment scheme for the armed forces.
Advocate Vishal Tiwan has filed the PIL. According to the petitioner, “angry aspirants” set fire to at least 20 bogies of the New Delhi-Bhagalpur Vikramshila Express and the New Delhi-Darbhanga Bihar Sampark Kranti Express at Lakhisarai and Samastipur stations, as well as blocked highways in Bihar. The Eastern Central Railway had to cancel 164 trains due to the intensity of the protests.
According to reports, a huge number of people were spotted stranded at different railway stations, including Patna Junction. People are also waiting in bus terminals for buses because the highways are blocked due to the protest.
According to the petitioner, more than 300 interstate trains have been impacted and more than 200 prime trains have been cancelled so far, citing press reports. The petition now includes the Union of India and the states of Uttar Pradesh. Respondents came from Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar, and Telangana.
The Petitioner also seeks the constitution of an expert group, chaired by a retired Supreme Court Judge, to examine the impact of the Agnipath scheme on the armed forces and national security.
In questioning the Agripath plan, the Petitioner says that such short-term contractual army recruiting demotivates army aspirants since it creates uncertainty for such aspirants because there will be no future for such individuals after the fixed 4 period as only 25% personnel are retained.