A grim first: Army court finds 3-star officer guilty

For the first time in the history of the Indian Army, a serving three-star officer has been found guilty in a general court martial (GCM).

Lieutenant general PK Rath, who was charged on four counts in the Sukna defence land scandal, has been pronounced guilty on three. The sentencing is expected in a couple of days.

Senior army officers, including Rath and general Avadhesh Prakash, had issued a no objection certificate to a private estate developer to construct an educational institution on 72 acres of land adjacent to the Sukna military station in Darjeeling.

The army wanted to acquire the land citing security reasons. The scandal was detected in mid-2008.

Rath has been found guilty of issuing the NOC; signing a MoU with the private builder; and not keeping the Eastern Command headquarters posted while carrying on the process. Rath could be dismissed from service without any post-retirement benefits.