Direct answer
An injury during leave is neither automatically pensionable nor automatically excluded. Examine its actual connection with duty, authorised travel or service requirements and the applicable injury classification.
Legal position and important distinctions
A leave certificate alone does not establish service nexus. The purpose of travel, authorised route, recall order, tickets, movement instructions and accident circumstances matter. A private activity can differ materially from authorised travel in compliance with duty instructions. Any mismatch between the police account and the military injury report needs an honest, evidence-based explanation.
Separate three decisions
Diagnosis, the assessed impairment percentage and legal entitlement to pension are different enquiries. Identify which board or authority decides each question. A supporting medical certificate is not final pension sanction. Likewise, a low medical category does not necessarily establish permanent incapacity or inability to undertake civil employment.
Prepare an evidence-based appeal
Date enrolment, first diagnosis, treatment, boards, discharge and rejection. Link every disputed finding to a specific annexure and page. Where ER 2023 applies, examine the six-month first and second pension-appeal provisions from the relevant rejection or sanction letter. Administrative time-bar provisions and judicial condonation before the AFT are distinct. An RTI request or reminder should not cause the original deadline to be missed.
Choose the correct relief
Depending on the defect, seek recognition of entitlement, correct classification, fresh medical consideration, a corrigendum PPO or calculation correction. Reassessment and payment sanction are not necessarily the same decision. Explain the arrears period and interest basis separately.
Practical steps
- Record the accident date, location, cause and purpose of travel.
- Preserve the FIR/MLC, tickets and leave or movement records.
- Challenge the injury classification or pension rejection with the supporting evidence.
Documents to collect
- Leave certificate and movement order
- FIR, MLC and injury report
- Travel tickets and witness or duty records
Hypothetical illustration
A member is injured while returning to the unit after recall. The recall and return-travel evidence may justify challenging treatment of the event as a purely private accident.
Avoid this mistake
Do not invent a duty connection for benefit eligibility; build the claim from the original records.
Official sources
- Entitlement Rules and Guide to Medical Officers, 2023 — entitlement, assessment, boards and appeals
- DESW — types of defence pension; invalid-pension policy clarification
- Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007 — sections 2, 3(o), 14–15, 19, 21–24, 29–32
Legal disclaimer
This article provides general legal information and the author’s general analysis, not individual legal advice. Reading it does not create an advocate–client relationship or guarantee an outcome. Rules, policies and judgments can change. Before acting, obtain qualified advice on your documents, applicable dates, jurisdiction and time limits.
Source check: 1 November 2026.