High Court of Himachal Pradesh (Division Bench: G.S. Sandhawalia, CJ and Ranjan Sharma, J) dismissed three civil writ petitions (CWP Nos.10963, 10965 and 10976 of 2025, all filed on 27.06.2025) by which the Union of India challenged orders of the Armed Forces Tribunal, Chandigarh with Circuit Bench at Shimla granting pensionary benefits to ex-servicemen: invalid pension for life from 16.01.1981 to Ex. Rect Onkar Chand (order dated 14.07.2023; disability 'Psychomotor Epilepsy' detected during service; enrolled 23.04.1980); rounding off of disability element @ 50% against 20% for 'Bronchial Asthma' w.e.f. 01.01.2006 to 31.12.2015 to Ex. Naik Naresh Kumar (order dated 13.07.2023); and disability pension @ 50% against 20% for life to Ex. Sub Maj (Hony Lt) Tilak Raj (order dated 29.07.2021; disability 'Squamous Cell Carcinoma Tongue'). The Tribunal's orders dated 2021-2023 were not challenged in time; the Union's miscellaneous applications seeking leave to appeal were themselves dismissed as time-barred (by 188, 222 and 214 days respectively), and even thereafter the writ petitions were filed only on 27.06.2025. Following its earlier decision in Union of India v. Pawna Devi, CWP No.2522 of 2025 (decided 25.02.2025), the Court held that a reasonable period of delay for the Union to challenge Tribunal orders can only be condoned not beyond one year, and beyond that no indulgence can be granted; counsel for the Union could not distinguish the present cases from that bunch, so the petitions were dismissed on the ground of delay and laches without examining merits, along with pending application(s). The reproduced Pawna Devi excerpts note that the decision in Union of India v. Parashotam Dass, Civil Appeal No.447 of 2023 (SC, 21.03.2023), recognising the right to challenge AFT orders under Article 226, does not excuse the Union's delay.
