The office of PIFA represents defence (finance) to advise the military on financial matters
They are the one who sit on the implementation of the orders passed by the various courts including the AFTs on benefits to military veterans and other related beneficiaries. PIFA is headed by officers of Defence and Accounts Services (IDAS).
In a recent case related to a 90-year-old veteran, the Chandigarh bench of AFT has recorded highly objectionable conduct of the officer in the office of PIFA for misleading the tribunal.

While dropping initiation of criminal proceedings against PIFA office, division bench comprising Justice Dharam Chand Chaudhary, judicial member and Air Marshal Manavendra Singh, administrative member of AFT Chandigarh, observed, “We hope that the PIFA shall improve its functioning…”
The AFT also directed the registry to convey the order to the office of PIFA for future guidance.
Even the Lucknow bench, while hearing a matter in which despite more than two years, the order was not complied with, observed that the act of not implementing the order by questioning its legality after a lapse of two years is nothing but a wilful disobedience of the order.

“We think it proper to issue notice to the PIFA, Army Headquarters New Delhi, to appear in person in this tribunal on the next date (March 22) to file reply as to why contempt proceedings be not initiated against her,” observed AFT’s Lucknow bench comprising Justice Umesh Chandra Srivastava, judicial member and Major General Sanjay Singh, administrative member.
The Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) also observed that apparently PIFA is sitting over the order passed by this tribunal as a court of appeal and analysing the merit of the order by exercising a jurisdiction vested in a court of appeal.

This act of the PIFA comes within the purview of the order of contempt, it observed.
Meanwhile, sources confirmed that hundreds of files processed by the Army HQ for implementation of AFT orders, which are covered by Supreme Court and high court judgments and by instructions issued by the MoD, are being held up due to multiple objections by PIFA, ultimately leading to embarrassment to the MoD and the Army in courts, which have now issued contempt notices for wilful non-compliance.

An officer dealing with the subject stated that it was the weakness of the MoD and Army in not pushing the files since the Army HQ is the ‘Competent Financial Authority’ which can overrule the PIFA who is only an ‘advisor’. The officer also pointed out that PIFA was under the wrong impression that its interpretation of policy can override court orders thereby undermining judicial authority.

Unnecessarily impeding financial concurrence to benefits granted to military widows and disabled veterans as well as “wilful disobedience” has brought the principal integrated financial adviser (PIFA) posted in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) under the judicial scanner of various benches of Armed Forces Tribunals (AFT)
There are several cases pending before different benches of AFTs where the tribunals have reprimanded the PIFA.

The office of PIFA represents defence (finance) to advise the military on financial matters
They are the one who sit on the implementation of the orders passed by the various courts including the AFTs on benefits to military veterans and other related beneficiaries. PIFA is headed by officers of Defence and Accounts Services (IDAS).
In a recent case related to a 90-year-old veteran, the Chandigarh bench of AFT has recorded highly objectionable conduct of the officer in the office of PIFA for misleading the tribunal.

While dropping initiation of criminal proceedings against PIFA office, division bench comprising Justice Dharam Chand Chaudhary, judicial member and Air Marshal Manavendra Singh, administrative member of AFT Chandigarh, observed, “We hope that the PIFA shall improve its functioning…”
The AFT also directed the registry to convey the order to the office of PIFA for future guidance.
Even the Lucknow bench, while hearing a matter in which despite more than two years, the order was not complied with, observed that the act of not implementing the order by questioning its legality after a lapse of two years is nothing but a wilful disobedience of the order.

“We think it proper to issue notice to the PIFA, Army Headquarters New Delhi, to appear in person in this tribunal on the next date (March 22) to file reply as to why contempt proceedings be not initiated against her,” observed AFT’s Lucknow bench comprising Justice Umesh Chandra Srivastava, judicial member and Major General Sanjay Singh, administrative member.
The Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) also observed that apparently PIFA is sitting over the order passed by this tribunal as a court of appeal and analysing the merit of the order by exercising a jurisdiction vested in a court of appeal.

This act of the PIFA comes within the purview of the order of contempt, it observed.
Meanwhile, sources confirmed that hundreds of files processed by the Army HQ for implementation of AFT orders, which are covered by Supreme Court and high court judgments and by instructions issued by the MoD, are being held up due to multiple objections by PIFA, ultimately leading to embarrassment to the MoD and the Army in courts, which have now issued contempt notices for wilful non-compliance.

An officer dealing with the subject stated that it was the weakness of the MoD and Army in not pushing the files since the Army HQ is the ‘Competent Financial Authority’ which can overrule the PIFA who is only an ‘advisor’. The officer also pointed out that PIFA was under the wrong impression that its interpretation of policy can override court orders thereby undermining judicial authority.