Retired Gurkha soldiers lose court case over British army pensions

London, Oct 14(ANI): Retired Gurkha soldiers in Britain have lost the latest round of their court battle to claim the same pensions as their British comrades.

The British Gurkha Welfare Society (BGWS) had challenged a High Court ruling earlier this year that rejected their bid to be transferred into Armed Forces Pension Scheme.

The Court of Appeal upheld the lower court's decision on Wednesday, the BBC reports.

Talking about the decision, BGWS Chairman Retired Major Tikendra Dal Dewan said: "We are very disappointed with the court's judgment and will be conferring with our legal team over the coming days to discuss taking our case to the European courts."

"We maintain that there is a cost benefit to the UK in resolving this issue, let alone the moral obligation of ensuring a respectable quality of life for these elderly Gurkhas and their families, all of whom have given great and devoted service to the UK's armed forces," he added.

Gurkhas have been part of the British army for almost 200 years.

Changes to pension rules in 2007 gave serving Gurkha soldiers equal pension rights with other service personnel, but the BGWS claims that about 25,000 Gurkhas who retired before 2007 are not eligible for pension payments equal to their UK-based counterparts.

It claimed that the government was acting unlawfully in paying them a third of the income of UK-based soldiers. (ANI)