Ayaz Ahmed Khan
On December 02, 2009, General Deepak Kapoor the Indian Chief of the Army Staff had defended Indian Army generals involved in illegal activities including land scams.
He had advised the India media for restraint and promised that action will be taken against generals found violating the Army Law. To stop the adverse fallout on the officers and troops of the 1.5 million strong Indian Army he asked the Indian press “not to prejudge the senior officers of the Indian Army. The court of enquiry proceedings are continuing, and its findings are awaited. My action will be determined by the court findings and recommendations. We need to be just and fair for the sake of The Indian Army.”
Lt General S.K Sahni Director General Director Supplies and Transport, Lieutenant Generals Apdesh Prakash, and P K Rath and six Major Generals and Brigadiers were found guilty in land scam, and thefts and were punished. On January 29, 2010 The Army Court indicted two senior Army officers of Lieutenant General rank for issuing no objection certificates (NOC’s) to a private builder for buy Indian army land in Sukhna Cantonment in West Bengal. On January 22, 2011 Lieutenant General P K Rath Corps Commander No 33 Indian Army Corps was found guilty by the Army Court in New Delhi on three counts including providing a NOC to Agrawal Geetanjali Education Trust to construct an affiliate school of the prestigious Mayo College in the area. The land scam came to light in mid 2008, with the reported involvement of LT Gen’s P. K. Rath and Avadesh Prakash who had influenced the decision for the issue of the NOC to a Siliguri based private builder. Seventy acres of high value hand was sold to the private builder, who turned out to be a mafia scammer.
On January 22, 2011 Lt Gen P K Rath was found guilty by the Army Court on three counts. First providing a NOC for the construction of a school building next to the Army headquarters in Sukhna Canton, second signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a private builder, and thirdly not informing the Eastern Command Headquarter, while he took illegal unilateral decisions. Lt Gen I.J Singh the President of the General Court Martial handed down two years seniority loss and forfeiture of 15 years seniority for pension purposes. Considering the charges leveled, the punishment was not very severe. A few days earlier sensing the adverse fall out of possible jail terms for the Indian Army’s Lt Generals Defence Minister A.K. Anthony tried to cover up the abuse of authority by Indian Army’s top generals. But neither his statements, nor the efforts of General Deepak Kapoor the Indian Army Chief could influence the decisions of Lt Gen I.J Singh the presiding officer.
In another General Court Martial (GCM), trying Indian Lt-Gen S.K Sahni, former Director General, Supplies and Transport, for irregularities in the procurement of dry rations, dismissed him from service and sentenced him to three years rigorous imprisonment. The court, presided over by Lt-Gen Jatinder Singh found the accused guilty on six of the nine charges of professional impropriety leveled against him. He had been under arrest since July 31 2009 when his trial commenced at Jalandhar in Indian Punjab. He faced charges for intent to defraud and acts prejudicial to military discipline. General Sahni’s case had come to light in 2005 along with that of Lt-Gen SK Dahiya, also an Army Service Corps officer. Gen Dahiya, along with several other officers was held blameworthy for lapses in the procurement of frozen meat for the troops, had faced administrative action only. Courts of inquiry into both these cases was conducted by Headquarters, Western Command, Chandimandir.
Several cases of irregularities and theft by senior and junior officers of the Indian Army have come to light during the last two years. Forty one Indian Army officers were caught selling weapons to freedom fighters in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and were dismissed and jailed. A senior officer was punished for selling subsidized army liquor to bootleggers.
He was jailed, The Indian military‘s justice system appears to be above board with regard to handing down punishments to senior officers including Lieutenant Generals. The trials of the above named officers proves that Indian Army generals do not and cannot elude misdemeanor. This is evidence of professional integrity of Indian Army’s justice system. It is above board and prompt, and should be an example for the Pakistani military in particular and Pakistan’s judicial system in ge
Why has the army been partial in just punishing select officers such as Gen Sahni? What about Lt. Gen. SK Dahiya who left troops to die in the cold mountains of Kashmir by sending bad quality meat? Has the army court asked how he amassed properties of Rs. 100 crore in Delhi and Gurgaon and swiss bank accounts in the name of his son?