Nepalese Gurkha soldiers lose British pension fight

Nepalese Gurkha veterans on Wednesday lost the latest round of their legal battle in London with the Ministry of Defence over their British army pensions. A test case, which would affect some 25,000 veterans, is seeking equal pension payments with soldiers who retired after a July 1, 1997 cut-off date, when the Gurkha headquarters was moved from Hong Kong to Britain.
They are paid a third of the pension that Gurkha veterans who retired after the 1997 date receive. Those who retired after 1997 receive the same amount as their British colleagues, while serving Gurkhas earned pension equality in 2007. The case was dismissed at the High Court earlier this year, but the British Gurkha Welfare Society then took it to the Court of Appeal. However, the appeal was rejected Wednesday.