How-To · Tribunal Appeals · Last verified October 2026
How to Appeal to the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) (2026)
A soldier, sailor or air warrior, serving or retired, who has a grievance about service, say a denied pension, a passed-over promotion, a posting, or a disciplinary penalty, or who has been convicted by a court-martial, does not go to the ordinary civil court or, in the first place, the High Court. Parliament created a dedicated forum for the armed forces, the Armed Forces Tribunal, to decide exactly these matters. This guide explains what the AFT hears, who can approach it, how to file a service application or a court-martial appeal, and how an AFT order is carried to the Supreme Court. It is general information, not legal advice. Last verified October 2026.
- Forum: the Armed Forces Tribunal, under the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007, for armed forces service matters and court-martial appeals.
- Service matters: pension, promotion, seniority, posting and disciplinary action under Section 14, started by an application.
- Court-martial: an appeal against the finding or sentence of a court-martial lies under Section 15.
- No High Court bypass: the High Court's writ jurisdiction over AFT matters is barred (Major General Shri Kant Sharma, 2015).
- Apex appeal: to the Supreme Court under Sections 30 and 31, with leave on a point of law of general public importance, or by special leave under Article 136.
01What the AFT is and hears
The Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) was set up under the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007. It has two heads of jurisdiction:
- Service matters of persons subject to the Army Act, 1950, the Navy Act, 1957, and the Air Force Act, 1950, under Section 14.
- Appeals against the findings or sentence of a court-martial, under Section 15.
The AFT has a Principal Bench at New Delhi and regional benches in other cities. A key feature, settled by the Supreme Court in Union of India v. Major General Shri Kant Sharma (2015), is that a party cannot ordinarily bypass the AFT by filing a writ petition in the High Court; the Act provides its own appeal route, and the High Court's jurisdiction over AFT matters is barred. For a fuller picture, see our explainer on the Armed Forces Tribunal.
02Service matters: Section 14
Under Section 14, the AFT decides disputes and complaints about the terms and conditions of service of armed forces personnel. In plain terms, this covers grievances such as:
- Pension, disability pension and retirement benefits.
- Promotion, seniority and selection.
- Posting, transfer and tenure.
- Disciplinary and administrative action short of a court-martial, such as a penalty or a show-cause action.
A service matter is started by an application to the AFT, which decides it following the principles of natural justice rather than the strict rules of the Code of Civil Procedure, so it is meant to be quicker and less formal than a civil court.
03Court-martial appeals: Section 15
Under Section 15, the AFT hears appeals against the finding or sentence of a court-martial. This is the forum a person convicted by a court-martial turns to, and the Tribunal has power to allow the appeal, set aside or vary the finding or sentence, and pass consequential orders as the Act provides.
So the two heads are distinct: Section 14 for service grievances that do not involve a court-martial, and Section 15 for challenging a court-martial itself. Identify which your matter is, because the nature of the proceeding and the relief differ.
The AFT does two jobs: it decides service grievances under Section 14 and it hears appeals against a court-martial under Section 15.
04Who can approach it
The AFT is for persons subject to the Army Act, the Navy Act and the Air Force Act, whether serving or retired, and in the cases the Act allows, their dependants or legal heirs, for example a widow pursuing a pension or benefit. The matter is brought against the Union of India through the appropriate service authority.
You can appear in person or through an advocate, and a serving or retired member may also be represented as the AFT rules permit. Because the AFT is a specialist forum, taking a service or court-martial matter to the wrong court usually leads to it being sent to the AFT, so start in the right place.
05How to file, step by step
The broad steps are:
- Identify the head, a service application under Section 14 or a court-martial appeal under Section 15.
- Exhaust the departmental remedy where the service rules require it, such as a statutory complaint or representation, and keep the order and its rejection.
- Draft the application or appeal setting out the facts, the order or court-martial challenged, the grounds, and the relief, with the record and an affidavit.
- File at the bench with jurisdiction, usually where you are or were posted or where the cause of action arose, with the prescribed fee.
- Serve the respondents so the authorities can reply, and appear for hearing; you can seek interim relief, such as a stay, where the matter is urgent.
Confirm the current forms, fee, limitation and e-filing steps on the AFT portal before filing, and note that the Act contains a provision for condoning delay where there is sufficient cause.
06Appeal to the Supreme Court
An AFT order can be carried to the Supreme Court. Under Section 30 of the AFT Act, an appeal lies to the Supreme Court, and under Section 31 this is subject to leave, the AFT (or the Supreme Court) certifying that the case involves a point of law of general public importance, or that it is otherwise a fit case for the Supreme Court to hear.
In practice, a party either obtains leave under Section 31 or approaches the Supreme Court by special leave under Article 136 of the Constitution. Because the High Court route is barred for AFT matters, the Supreme Court is the court above the AFT. Each step has its own time limit, so act promptly.
07Where Claw fits
Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.
Filing and arguing an AFT matter is your advocate's job, and Claw does not file for you. Where Claw helps is in tracking the matter and researching how the Tribunal and the Supreme Court have decided similar service and court-martial points. You can track an AFT application or appeal and its onward Supreme Court appeal through every stage across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, with hearing and order alerts, so a listing or an order does not slip past. Its Legal GPT lets you research across 30 crore+ judgments, with Supreme Court decisions from 1950 and High Court decisions from 1990, to see how disability pension, promotion and court-martial matters have been treated. Results return in under 5 seconds, and Claw does not train its AI models on your documents. To check a party's other matters, you can run a case search across Indian courts by name, or search the Armed Forces Tribunal directly. A clean result means nothing was found on the forums and date searched, under the names used, not that no matter exists. This is general information, not legal advice.
08Sources and further reading
- Armed Forces Tribunal, Principal Bench (benches, procedure, orders): aftdelhi.nic.in
- India Code (Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007): indiacode.nic.in
- Supreme Court of India (judgments): main.sci.gov.in
- Claw: clawlaw.in
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Jurisdiction, forms and limitation can change; confirm the current position on the AFT portal and take advice before filing.
09Frequently asked questions
What does the Armed Forces Tribunal hear?
Under the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007, the AFT decides service matters of personnel subject to the Army, Navy and Air Force Acts under Section 14, such as pension, promotion, seniority, posting and disciplinary action, and it hears appeals against the finding or sentence of a court-martial under Section 15. It has a Principal Bench at New Delhi and regional benches.
Who can approach the AFT?
Persons subject to the Army Act, the Navy Act and the Air Force Act, whether serving or retired, and in the cases the Act allows, their dependants or legal heirs, such as a widow pursuing a pension. The matter is brought against the Union of India through the appropriate service authority, and you can appear in person or through an advocate.
Can I go to the High Court instead of the AFT?
Ordinarily no. In Union of India v. Major General Shri Kant Sharma (2015), the Supreme Court held that the AFT Act provides its own appeal route, so the High Court's writ jurisdiction over AFT matters is barred. The court above the AFT is the Supreme Court, not the High Court.
How do I file a court-martial appeal in the AFT?
You file an appeal under Section 15 of the Armed Forces Tribunal Act against the finding or sentence of the court-martial, setting out the grounds and the relief, with the record and an affidavit, at the bench with jurisdiction and with the prescribed fee. The Tribunal can allow the appeal and set aside or vary the finding or sentence as the Act provides.
Can an AFT order be appealed to the Supreme Court?
Yes. Under Sections 30 and 31 of the AFT Act, an appeal lies to the Supreme Court with leave, where the case involves a point of law of general public importance or is otherwise a fit case. A party may also approach the Supreme Court by special leave under Article 136 of the Constitution.