The Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed a cost of Rs 2 lakh on Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi for the delay in granting disability pension to a retired Major who underwent 24 surgeries and suffered a kidney ailment during his service.A resident of Pune, Major Rajdeep Dinkar Pandere (retd) was commissioned in the Army on September 15, 2012, in a physically fit condition. He was posted with 4 Ladakh Scouts in Leh and got field, peace, special action group and high-altitude postings.In June 2017, he suffered a medical problem while on military duty. He was brought before the Sick Leave Medical Board at the Delhi Cantonment Base Hospital and diagnosed with cystitis cystica glandularis.Major Pandere underwent surgery and was placed in a “low medical category” on September 19, 2017. Thereafter, he was brought before the Categorisation Medical Board six times. He was brought before the Release Medical Board on September 2, 2022, at the Western Command Hospital in Chandimandir (Panchkula) and recommended for release in the low medical category. However, his disability–assessed at 15 per cent for life–was opined as neither attributable to nor aggravated by military service, and no reasons were cited. He was released from the Army on September 14, 2022, after 10 years of service. His request for disability pension was rejected vide letter dated November 23, 2022.The Chandigarh Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) at Chandimandir observed, in its order dated October 10, 2024, that Major Pandere was examined by the Categorisation Medical Board and the Recategorisation Medical Board several times, and that he was operated upon time and again and the disability was attributable to military service every time.“We failed to understand what parameter was adopted by the Release Medical Board for assessing the disability at 15 per cent for life and to declare the disability of the applicant as neither attributable to nor aggravated by military service at the time of release from service,” the Bench said.The Tribunal ordered that as per the Guide to Medical Officers (Military Pensions), 2008, the disability percentage be considered 40 per cent as the serum creatinine was 1.13 mg, thereby holding Major Pandere entitled to a disability pension. The disability percentage was “rounded off” from 40 per cent to 50 per cent (as per the Supreme Court guidelines) for life, effective July 1, 2022.On July 28, 2025, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed the Union of India’s writ against the Tribunal’s order, stating that Major Pandere’s entitlement to disability pension “cannot be doubted”.Major Pandere also filed a civil writ petition before the High Court, seeking implementation of the Tribunal’s order, which was disposed of on October 31, 2025, in his favour. As the military authorities still didn’t grant him a disability pension despite orders from the Tribunal and the High Court, he filed a contempt petition against Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi.His counsel, Rajesh Sehgal, argued that the respondents had failed to implement the High Court judgment despite more than two months having passed, and that the petitioner had not been paid even a single paisa, nor had any sanction letter or pension payment order been issued for disability pension.Justice Sudeepti Sharma, in her order dated April 30, observed, “On the last date of hearing, last opportunity was granted to the respondents to file a compliance affidavit with a condition that in case of non-filing, a cost of Rs 2 lakh shall be imposed.” As no compliance affidavit was filed, one more opportunity was granted, subject to payment of Rs 2 lakh cost, to be equally deducted from the salary of both respondents (the Defence Secretary and the Army Chief) and to be paid to the petitioner by way of a demand draft, the order said.