The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said that it will hear the petitions filed against the Central Government’s Agnipath scheme on November 18. 

For the unversed, the scheme is a  newly promulgated recruitment drive green-lit by the Modi Government to attract India’s youth to the armed forces. As per the scheme, youngsters aged between 17 and a half years to 21 years would be eligible to enrol as per the new policy for a period of four years. While the government’s aim is to encash the young demographic dividend of the country and reduce the average of candidates joining the armed forces, the scheme has jeopardised the existing recruitment process as per the petitioners.

The petitioners believe that the scheme's launch has created two separate classes of candidates eligible to join the armed forces. Those who will be recruited as per the earlier notifications before the launch of the recruitment scheme and another class of aspirants who will be recruited under the terms and conditions of the Agnipath scheme. 

Besides this, the lack of clarity on pension benefits under the new Agnipath scheme and the fact that only 25 percent of the agnigivers will be absorbed in the Armed forces after four years has created an atmosphere of discord against the scheme. The matter assumes complexity as recruitment under pre-Covid notifications stalled during the pandemic, leaving many eligible candidates in a flux regarding their career in the Armed Forces.

While the centre in its reply to the petitioners seems clear in its objective to prepare the youth for a disciplined life and absorb the best personnel in the armed forces after the completion of four years, the petitioners are of the view that the launch of the Agnipath Scheme casts ambiguities on the existing recruitment process. The petitioners are likely to file a detailed response to the central government's stand on the next date of the hearing.