Delhi HC: Hypertension Not Enough to Deny Disability Pension to IAF Officer

• The Delhi High Court ruled that merely calling primary hypertension a lifestyle disorder is insufficient to deny disability pension to a retired Indian Air Force (IAF) officer.
• Justices V Kameswar Rao and Manmeet P S Arora stated that medical boards must provide specific reasons for their conclusions, considering individual lifestyles.
• The court dismissed the Centre's challenge, upholding the Armed Forces Tribunal's decision that the officer is entitled to disability pension for hypertension.
• The judgment emphasized that the medical board failed to provide reasons why the officer's hypertension was not relatable to military service or why it was considered a lifestyle disability.
• The officer joined the IAF in October 1981 and was discharged in March 2019 after over 37 years of service, without any pre-existing disability.

Why It Matters: Delhi HC mandates medical boards to provide detailed reasons for denying disability pensions based on lifestyle disorders.