In Brief
A Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army challenged before the High Court of Manipur an order attaching him to another unit for disciplinary proceedings. The Supreme Court held that the High Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the challenge because: (1) the officer was posted in Maharashtra, outside Manipur's territorial jurisdiction; (2) service matters of Armed Forces personnel are exclusively governed by the Armed Forces Tribunal Act 2007; and (3) High Courts cannot pre-empt disciplinary jurisdiction through interim stay orders. The Court allowed the appeal, set aside the High Court's orders, and held that judicial interference in military disciplinary matters undermines essential Army discipline.
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