Edit: SC ruling on Army chief a cautionary tale

The Supreme Court’s decision on army chief General VK Singh’s age row has three sides to it. First, it enhances the court’s position at the top of a handful of institutions that are still functioning as they should. Considering the line the apex court took — that the chief should have taken measures to get his age corrected much earlier in his career and not at the time of his retirement — it could have brusquely told the general off. That the court gave a carefully worded ruling in this sensitive matter, explicitly stating that while it was worried about the army’s morale, it did not in the least doubt the army chief’s honour and integrity is laudable.

Second, Gen Singh should have thought ten times before approaching the court. In fact, what the Supreme Court said is exactly what he should have done — taken measures to get the age corrected much earlier, or, having accepted, in writing, a date of birth, abided by that date. By approaching the court, he painted himself into a corner, and is now left with just one honourable option — putting in his papers — which he will, in all likelihood, do soon.

Third, the beleaguered government may be tempted to see this ruling as a small victory, but nothing would be farther from the truth. If the government had done the right thing and explored all options of arriving at an amicable solution much earlier in the day, it wouldn’t have had the ignominious distinction of being the first government to be taken to court by a serving military chief. Also, it will now find itself in the spotlight, and with major arms deals in the pipeline, how it chooses the next chief, and that chief himself, will come under intense scrutiny.