Chandigarh, July 26 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court has said a soldier killed in 'friendly fire' while deployed in a military operation cannot be denied benefits applicable to those killed in action.

The order was passed by a division bench of justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and justice Deepak Manchanda, while hearing a petition filed by the central government against February 22, 2022, order of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT), Chandigarh, directing to consider the claim of liberalised family pension to one Rukmani Devi, mother of the deceased soldier.

Devi's son, who was on duty in Operation Rakshak in Jammu and Kashmir, died on October 21, 1991, due to a gunshot fired by a fellow soldier.

"...It is manifest that a soldier deploye...