Supreme Court Directs Reinstatement of Former IAF Officer After Husband Dies in Crash

The Supreme Court has directed the Indian Air Force to take back a former officer whose husband died in a military aircraft accident eight years after she quit. Squadron Leader Priyanka Saxena originally served for a decade before stepping down in 2013 to take care of her household. Her husband, who worked as a fighter pilot for the defense force, lost his life when his MiG-21 jet crashed in 2021. Following this tragedy, she asked to rejoin the armed forces. The top court ruled in her favor, granting her permission to put on the uniform again following a twelve-month refresher course. The court also ordered that her first ten years of past service must be counted toward her career record.