From date of births issue of the Army Chiefs to the discrepancies in army deals….. Army had been giving tough time for the UPA, but the Chief’s appt went in its favor.
The Supreme Court found `no reason for intervention’ on the Army Chief’s appointment after the centre submitted the necessary documents as requested by the court, today. Hence as per the present status Lt. General Bikram Singh shall take over as the Army Chief as the old Chief demits office on May 31. Gen V K Singh is the outgoing Army Chief. The Centre submitted the necessary file to the Supreme Court today. After going through the file the Court quashed the PIL filed against the appointment. Lt General Bikram Singh currently is the Eastern Army Commander.
It may be noted that a group of retired officers and bureaucrats had moved the Supreme Court challenging the appointment of Lt Gen Bikram Singh as the next Army chief on the ground that he was allegedly involved in a fake encounter in Jammu and Kashmir in 2001. Challenging the appointment, the petitioners, including former Navy Chief Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas and former Chief election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy, alleged in their PIL that Lt General Singh was involved in the fake encounter and the case is pending in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The petitioners, also including veteran journalist Sam Rajapa and social activist MG Devasahayam, alleged that Lt Gen Singh failed to take action against officers who were involved in sexual harassment and rape when they were posted to Congo in 2008 as part of the UN peace-keeping mission. The government had on March 3 announced the appointment of Lt Gen Bikram Singh as the next Army chief.
The petitioners have argued that the appointment is "manipulated" and that such manipulation began in 2005, with other contenders being overlooked. They added that the date of birth row on A K Singh was also to ensure the safe installation of Lt Gen Bikram Singh. But on the contrary the centre argues that the appointment was transparent and the complaint had communal overtones. (With inputs from internet- AarKay)
