The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to bring an amendment in the Air Force Act so that pre-trial detention of a solider is considered as a part of jail term awarded by court-martial.
Observing that such amendments were brought in Army and Navvy Acts, a bench of justices B S Chauhan and Dipak Misra said the Air Force Act should also be amended to avoid hardships faced by persons convicted by court-martial.
"Keeping in view the aforesaid amendment in the other two enactments...we think it apt to recommend the Union of India to seriously consider to bring an amendment in the (Air Force) Act so that the hardships faced by the persons convicted by the court-martial are avoided," the bench said.
"Though such amendments have been made by Parliament under the Army Act and the Navy Act yet no such amendment has been incorporated in the Air Force Act. The aforesaid provisions, as we perceive, have been incorporated in both the statutes to avoid hardship to persons convicted by the court-martial.
"Similar hardship is suffered by the persons who are sentenced to imprisonment under various provisions of the (Air Force) Act," it said.
