Not true. AO 03/2001 applies to all personnel subject to the Army Act, 1950, including TA personnel while on embodied service, as clarified by DGMS Circular 02/2004.
Published by: Defense Archives & Policy Analysis
Reading Time: Approx. 9 minutes army order 03 2001 dgms army
A Pension Payment Order (PPO) citing “Disability element as per AO 03/2001” is common. The order cross-references: Not true
Important Legal Precedent: In the landmark 2015 Armed Forces Tribunal (Principal Bench) case, Ex-Sepoy Harbhajan Singh v. Union of India, the AFT quashed a medical board’s finding of “non-attributable” for psychosomatic disorders. The tribunal directed that AO 03/2001’s “stress and strain of military service” clause overrides routine medical opinion in cases of chronic adjustment disorder. The DGMS Army subsequently issued a clarifying memorandum reinforcing this interpretation. Published by: Defense Archives & Policy Analysis Reading