All petitions contesting the Agnipath plan were dismissed By Delhi HC

On Monday, the Delhi High Court dismissed all of the petitions against the "Agnipath" scheme for the enlistment of Agniveers.

The court stated that the Agnipath Scheme was created in the national interest and that "all petitions challenging Agnipath Scheme are dismissed." Five petitions opposed the Agnipath initiative, while 18 petitions called for the repeal of the prior recruitment plan.

The bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad dismissed the group of petitions, stating that there was no cause for interference. The court further clarified that such individuals do not have a right to seek enlistment while dismissing petitions pertaining to the armed services recruiting process under specific prior advertising, according to PTI.

A group of petitions against the Centre's Agnipath programme for armed services recruitment had been filed in December, and the Delhi High Court had reserved judgement on those cases.

The petitioners' attorneys and the Center were given until December 23 to submit written arguments before the court adjourned for the holiday.

The regulations for enlisting young people in the armed forces are outlined in the Agnipath initiative, which was introduced on June 14.

These regulations state that applicants must be between 17 and a half and 21 years old, and if accepted, they would serve for a four-year term. 25% of them are eligible for future regular service under the plan. Protests over the idea broke out in a number of states after it was revealed.

Eventually, the government raised the maximum age to 23 for hiring in 2022.

The Agnipath plan, according to central government standing counsel Harish Vaidyanathan and Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, is one of the major policy shifts in defence recruitment and will cause a paradigm shift in the way the armed forces hire personnel.

According to the government, the Agnipath programme was implemented as part of the exercise of its sovereign power to improve national security and defence by making them more "robust," "impenetrable," and "ahead of evolving military requirements."