The Supreme Court on Friday asked the government to regularise local porters, who lug rations and accompany soldiers to hostile heights, and welcome their children into Army schools. “This will help you [Army] in the long run,” a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur observed.
The apex court gave the Centre three weeks to prepare a draft of a scheme to regularise Army porters’ services. The court suggested that those who had completed 10 years in the service of the Army be considered for regularisation with all benefits, including insurance policies and compensation. Over 12,000 porters serve the Army in forward areas a year. Porters, the civilian part of the Army deployed in some sectors such as Nowshera (Rajouri) in Jammu and Kashmir, have been seeking regularisation. The current petition voicing their cause was filed by senior advocate Bhim Singh, who hails from Kashmir.
In the last hearing, the apex court had sought the Army to come clean about the nature of their employment. The court was on the brink of referring the case to the Armed Forces Tribunal.
“There should be some scheme for the absorption of those who have 10 years of good service... they should also feel that there is some light at the end of a long dark tunnel,” Chief Justice Thakur observed.
‘A committed lot’Chief Justice Thakur said the Army should recognise the local porters’ commitment. “They leave their homes and villages to serve you in inhospitable heights. If a soldier or officer falls sick in those heights, it is the porters who carry them down,” Chief Justice Thakur addressed Additional Solicitor-General P.S. Patwalia, who appeared for the government.
Mr. Patwalia said the Army Chief had been apprised of the litigation and a policy was in the offing.
He said a porter carried about 20 kg, quite similar to the weight a soldier took on his back.
