A CWMBRAN Gurkha claiming racial discrimination against the Army was given a boost in his legal battle when lawyers won the right for 30,000 similar cases to go to the High Court.

Former Lance-corporal Hari Thapa, (pictured) 38, of Hollybush, Cwmbran, began employment tribunal proceedings against his former employers at the Ministry of Defence five years ago after receiving 40 per cent less pension than a British soldier.

And yesterday lawyers acting for approximately 30,000 former Gurkhas won the right to have their discrimination case taken to the High Court.

The Gurkhas are claiming that their pay, pensions, dress code, and living conditions were inferior to their British counterparts.

If they win their case, the Ministry of Defence could face a payout of more than £2 billion. Padam Bahadur Gurung , president of the Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen's Organisation, was delighted with the news. He said: "Now the British government will have to take our case seriously and we hope that they will choose now to end this systematic discrimination."

Mr Thapa resigned from the Army in January,1998 and received a pension of only £58 a month - compared to £450 a month for British soldiers. He served for 15 years. He also claims he was barred from joining the Territorial Army and did not receive equal medical treatment.

The MoD claimed Mr Thapa was ineligible for a British pension as most of his service was spent abroad, and as Gurkhas were recruited and trained in Nepal, they could not be compared with British soldiers.

Both Mr Thapa and the 30,000 Gurkhas represented in the High Court will hear the next stage of their cases in September.

His next hearing will deal with the issue of where his service in the Army took place. But he fears the MoD will try to delay the case as long as possible.

He previously told the Argus: "This started in 1997 and it is now 2002. The Army are using delaying tactics, just delaying all the time."