The Supreme Court must step in

How can you expect the youth to be attracted to the army when even the office of a service chief is being dealt with in a deplorable manner without compunctions of willfully denigrating the military in the process? Misinformation has been ‘planted’ in the media and even through statements in Parliament that the year of birth of the present army chief is 1950 instead of 1951 and that he has been asking for ‘change of date of birth’, whereas he has never once asked for change of date of birth.

The impression created of Gen VK Singh craving for one more year is grossly untrue. The mischief originated in the Military Secretary’s Branch (which is no authority on an officer’s age) 36 years after Gen VK Singh was commissioned. He has been representing to the MS Branch and army chiefs for ‘reconciliation’ of his birth date since then but the issue has been soft pedaled deliberately. The Adjutant General’s Branch (the sole authority on an officer’s age) has throughout maintained his birth date as May 1951. The Attorney General first agrees the birth date as 1951 and at a subsequent stage changes it to 1950. What more proof of mischief is required when the defence ministry directs the MS Branch to undertake an inquiry into the birth date of Gen VK Singh “in conjunction with the AG’s Branch’, and the inquiry is NOT held and the MoD rejects the petition for ‘reconciliation of age’ describing it a petition for ‘change of date of birth’, also citing the findings of the inquiry ordered by MoD (never held).

Meanwhile the political interlocutor keeps singing lullabies, exhorting the chief to be patient and not go to court till the latter shut down for the year last year and next day reject his statutory complaint for ‘reconciliation of age’. The law minister says on TV that ‘rules are rules’, that ‘change of date of birth’ can only be taken up within three years of service but does not explain such role is applicable in this case where change of date of birth has never been applied for.

The PIL filed on the same issue is being deliberately delayed. First, the judge heading the bench discovers at the last minute that he knows the army chief and needs to be taken off and now leisurely the constitution of the new bench will take many days.

Media investigations have recently spoken of the land and arms mafias. Of course, big ticket army related contracts are in the offing — artillery and air defence, helicopters and what not. That notwithstanding, where the Supreme Court has to even direct Delhi citizens to wear seat belts and helmets, it would be only appropriate for the esteemed apex court to take suo motu notice of this case, summon both parties and give expeditious verdict.

Akin to Parliament being the symbol of democratic India, the service chief is the symbol of the military. The Supreme Court must take note of the attack being mounted on the military that will have far reaching repercussions and intervene. Should the case go to Court in the normal route, all out efforts can be expected to delay the verdict beyond May 31, 2012, the government-purported date of retirement of Gen VK Singh. That would be yet another shameful day for India.

The writer is a decorated Special Forces officer who retired last year