On July 20, Delhi High Court will hear petitions against the "Agnipath" Scheme.

Digital Desk: The Delhi High Court announced on Tuesday that it would hear a number of appeals against the Agnipath Scheme of the Centre on July 20.

The Agnipath programme, which was unveiled on June 14, calls for the enlistment of young people between the ages of 17 and 21 for only four years, with the option of keeping 25% of them for an additional 15 years. Against the plan, protests have started in a number of states.

Later, the government raised the maximum age to 23 for enrollment in 2022. The Indian Navy reserved the right to shortlist candidates by increasing the cut-off marks they received in class 12th examinations, contrary to the already laid down eligibility criteria in the advertisement, after their applications were received for recruitment as Person Below Officer Rank (PBOR) in the force. The high court was hearing an application filed in a pending petition on Tuesday.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad that similar cases challenging the Agnipath scheme were already pending before the high court and should be heard collectively. The bench ordered that all such petitions be listed collectively on July 20.