AFT: No special relief for death due to illness

The Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has denied a special family pension to the family of a soldier who died in his barracks due to heart disease while on duty. The soldier’s family had sought the special family pension, which is higher than the ordinary family pension, arguing that his death occurred while on duty. However, the AFT, in a judgment by a division bench in Lucknow, dismissed the plea, stating that special family pension is only granted when the death is attributable to military service.