General Prakash, who retired on January 31, was attached to the eastern army command in Kolkata last weekend to face a summary of evidence, and possible court martial.
In a coincidence, a few weeks before the army chief, Gen Deepak Kapoor, was found partially deaf in his left ear, his controversial close aide, Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash, was found suffering from an equal measure of hearing loss in his right ear.
General Prakash, who retired on January 31, was attached to the eastern army command in Kolkata last weekend to face a summary of evidence, and possible court martial, for his role in the Sukhna land scam. The army chief had issued orders for much milder administrative action against Prakash, but, in an unusual move, the defence minister last week issued written orders asking the chief to alter it to disciplinary proceedings. This could result in a court martial of Prakash.
According to documents with DNA, three weeks before the army chief was certified as partially disabled due to partial deafness, the just retired military secretary too was issued a similar medical certificate. The 20% disability they suffer entitles them to a 20% increase in pension for life as well as significant income-tax exemptions. After DNA disclosed the army chief’s medical certificate, he has written to the government saying he wouldn’t want to draw the extra pension.
Like the chief, Prakash too has been placed in the H2 category, below the highest category of fitness. Army officers are expected to be in SHAPE1 (meaning top grade in psychological, hearing, appendages, physical and eyes).
According to his medical examination report, Prakash suffers from “sensori neural hearing loss (bilateral)”. Like his chief, Prakash suffered ear damage due to constant listening to booming guns. The only difference is that while the chief’s trouble is with the left ear, Prakash’s is with the right ear.
The doctor’s records on Prakash note that he has an “impairment in hearing, especially during social gathering. Gets echoes while using hearing aid.” The medical report was prepared on October 1 last year at the Base Hospital in New Delhi. The army chief’s medical report was prepared on November 23.
In the column where the military secretary was asked to fill in details of “any incidents during your service which you think caused or made your disability worse”, he writes that he was exposed to “loud noise in repeated field firing/gun firing and due to regular travel by helicopter, specially during my tenure” as GOC (general officer commanding) the 17 Mountain Division and commandant of IMTRAT in Bhutan. IMTRAT is the Indian army detachment in Bhutan.
The doctor says that the military secretary is “fit for release in medical category S1H2A1P1E1 (meaning H2 in hearing, and category 1 in the rest of the fitness tests).
The medical board that carried out the tests on the military secretary says the hearing loss was not “attributable” to service, but it was “aggravated by service.” The significant loss of hearing onset is said to be from January 10, 2008, according to the board, and it was “aggravated due to exposure to loud noises of small arms firing as well as field firing.”
The medical board says the disability would be “20% for life” and has awarded Prakash “net assessment qualifying for disability pension” at “20% for life.”
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